Government of Canada Supports Start-up of the Firm RO-BOIS-TIC sous-traitance industrielle ltee

SAINT-APOLLINAIRE, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Oct. 9, 2012) - Acting on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Mr. Jacques Gourde, Member of Parliament for Lotbinière-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, today announced that the industrial subcontracting firm RO-BOIS-TIC has been granted funding for the acquisition of equipment.

"Our government is committed to helping Quebec enterprises grow so that they can create more jobs. Investments such as the one we are making in RO-BOIS-TIC promote productivity in Canadian companies and the economic competitiveness of the country," said Mr. Gourde.

The project involves starting up RO-BOIS-TIC, a subcontracting enterprise in household furniture, kitchen cabinets and office furniture manufacturing. The firm will acquire entirely robotized manufacturing equipment in order to meet the needs of its customers and enable them, and RO-BOIS-TIC, to integrate into the value chain of prime contractors as well as smaller industry players. The use of a robot will also serve as a technological showcase to demonstrate the advantages of this type of manufacturing which enhances the industry's productivity and competitiveness, allowing it to better stand out in the international marketplace. According to management, two jobs will be created by the end of the project. The setting-up of RO-BOIS-TIC will also help to strengthen the economy of the Lotbinière region.

About the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE)

This financial assistance has been granted in the form of a $210,000 repayable contribution through Canada Economic Development's Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE).

The TISQFE was brought into force in June 2010 to help communities affected by the forestry crisis diversify their economies in order to ensure their growth and create and maintain employment. The initiative's goal is also to support secondary and tertiary wood processing projects in these communities.

This measure is one of several put in place by the Government of Canada to counteract the effects of the forest crisis. Others include the Community Adjustment Fund, with its $1-billion budget over two years to mitigate the impact of the crisis, the $1 billion granted to the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to help enterprises carry out environmentally-friendly projects, and the $238 million invested, in collaboration with the Government of Quebec, for silvicultural work and the maintenance of multi-use forest roads. Workers have also received their fair share of support, with the Government of Canada introducing numerous measures to help them through the global economic crisis.

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