International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to Soar Once More on International Markets!

SAINT-JEAN-SUR-RICHELIEU, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Aug. 13, 2016) - Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) and Canadian Heritage

Tourism is an ideal opportunity for promoting Canada's economic diversification. To that end, the Government of Canada's support of cultural and sporting events reflects its determination to encourage actions that generate major economic and media benefits for the country's regions. A strong economy helps create well-paying jobs and a good standard of living for the middle class.

Acting on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, Jean R. Rioux, Member of Parliament for Saint-Jean, today joins the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, in announcing $600,500 in funding to the Corporation du Festival international de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to support the festival's 2016 and 2017 editions.

The financial assistance from CED to the Corporation has been awarded in the form of a $506,500 non-repayable contribution through the Quebec Economic Development Program (QEDP) for 2016 and 2017. This support will serve for the promotion of the festival on international markets and for the development of a new product, unique in North America, for the 2016 edition: a sightseeing station that allows visitors to experience the soaring of hot air balloons in augmented reality.

Canadian Heritage, for its part, has granted $94,000 to the Corporation through its Building Canada Through Arts and Heritage (BCAH) program to help fund the presentation of a multitude of shows highlighting local performers and to provide support to festival volunteers.

The Corporation du Festival de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and its partners will invest $19,468,681 for the event's 2016 and 2017 editions. According to the organization, the festival helps further Quebec's international reach and reputation and generates an estimated $17.3M in annual economic spinoffs.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is proud to support mobilizing and unifying projects that, like the International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, showcase our country's different regions on the world stage. These projects generate significant spinoffs for Canada in terms of jobs, tourism and visibility."

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister responsible for CED

"The International Balloon Festival gives numerous well-known and emerging artists from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and the vicinity the chance to perform before a large audience. It is an outstanding opportunity for the public to discover our home-grown talent in an exciting and magical atmosphere."

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

"For more than 30 years, local citizens and visitors from all over have been coming together in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to enjoy this colourful aerial show. The success of this festival is an undeniable source of pride for our region. Congratulations to the organizers and to all the volunteers!"

Jean R. Rioux, MP for Saint-Jean

Related links

To learn more about the QEDP: http://www.dec-ced.gc.ca/eng/programs/qedp/index.html

For further information on BCAH: http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1455310870059/1455310944929

International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Website: https://www.ballooncanada.com/

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