The Greater Sudbury area is receiving an $11-million boost from the provincial government, whose Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation is helping fund 20 local projects.
The funds aim “to support and build our businesses and build our communities,” Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford told a Sudbury crowd on Monday evening.
“We are building strong, vibrant communities and creating real opportunities for the people who live here, for the people who work here and study in the north.”
Included in the list of funding recipients are a number of film projects, including a project called “Umbrella Chronicles,” which is receiving $2 million.
Although no details are provided, “The Umbrella Chronicles” is a Resident Evil video game, and the 2021 movie, “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,” was filmed in Sudbury. The production company behind the “Umbrella Chronicles” movie is Raccoon HG Film Productions, which was behind the Sudbury-filmed Resident Evil movie.
Get’er Done Productions is receiving $1 million to produce the television series Letterkenny, which has been filmed in the Greater Sudbury area for the past several years, with other film-related funding going toward:
$500,000 for Circle Blue Films to produce, in Sudbury, the film “Cafe Daughter,” as well as $500,000 to produce, in Sudbury, the film “Orah”
$43,416 for Sudbury artist Kenny Wilson to produce an animated television series called “Rabbit Girl”
Following Monday’s announcement, city Tourism and Culture manager Lara Fielding told Sudbury.com funding such as this is responsible for “drawing in and sustaining” local film productions.
Local filming is “picking up,” she said, adding that there are approximately eight films slated to be filmed in Greater Sudbury so far this year, but that more could come up in the coming months. The second season of Shoresy is currently being filmed in Greater Sudbury.
The funding offers “a great opportunity for productions that are doing well, but also for new producers and writers to get a jump on money to their projects forward,” Fielding said.
Another big recipient of funds was the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT), which hosted Rickford’s speech. They’re receiving $1.3 million toward the purchase of a battery-electric vehicle and to upgrade the centre to accommodate the new vehicle.
The funds will go toward the purchase of a load haul dump, or a scooptram vehicle, which will be used to train miners in real-life underground mining scenarios.
“Given the migration towards electrification of both underground and surface mines, there is a need for hands-on experience or training for that,” NORCAT CEO Don Duval told Sudbury.com.
“We want to ensure that our hands-on experiential training aligns to training on equipment that is representative of the industry.”
Various ancillary technology will accompany the piece of equipment, which students will also be familiarized with.
“The migration towards electrification is happening, it’s well underway, and it’s only going to get faster,” Duval said. “I think you’re gonna continue to see an expedited adoption of electric vehicles in the mining companies.”
With the Greater Sudbury area “blessed with a huge potential for critical minerals,” he said it’s “an exciting time to be in the mining industry in Ontario and Canada.”
NORCAT has yet to select a preferred vendor for the electric scooptram vehicle, so he said they don’t know yet how much it will end up costing.
The balance of the $11-million in provincial funding announced for the Greater Sudbury area includes:
$2 million for Cambrian College to build a “state-of-the-art research and development facility” at its Barrydowne Campus in Sudbury.
$728,433 for a numbered company (1929995 Ontario Inc.) to develop Plowbrush, a snowplowing system that reduces the amount of salt needed to clear roadways.
$400,000 for Amen Holdings and Consolidated Logistics, both in Sudbury, to purchase equipment and install additional railway track at their track facility
$400,000 for Barrydowne Animal Hospital in Sudbury to purchase a building,relocate, renovate and buy equipment
$391,785 for A&M Remediation – an industrial waste management company in Sudbury – to purchase equipment
$255,000 for Top Steel – a manufacturing and design firm in Val Caron – to purchase equipment
$250,000 for Rock-Tech – a mining equipment manufacturer in Lively – to develop an automated rockbreaker
$250,000 for Sofvie Inc. – a health and safety software company in Lively – to develop an industrial grade safety device worn as a sleeve
$222,150 for Sparrow Health – a medical technology business in Sudbury – to develop an online portal enabling patients to request prescription refills and for their physicians to process requests
$158,538 to establish, in Val Caron, Rees Rail Services – a service contractor for the rail industry – and $400,000 for the company to purchase equipment
$104,140 for Chenier Drilling Services – a drilling services provider in Val Caron for the mining and mineral exploration industries – to purchase equipment
$79,936 for Bio-Mine Ltd. – a clean technology company in Sudbury – to develop a microbial system to be used for the degradation of plastic waste
$58,290 for FlashTheSloth Technology Inc. – a high-tech delivery service provider in Sudbury – to purchase equipment and software
In a media release issued by the province, Top Steel general manager Savy Bhardwaj credited the funds with helping them hire two people and purchase new machinery so they can produce products in Northern Ontario rather than outsourcing to third-party producers in the south.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VICTORIA – British Columbia is forecasting a record budget deficit and a rising debt of almost $129 billion less than two weeks before the start of a provincial election campaign where economic stability and future progress are expected to be major issues.
Finance Minister Katrine Conroy, who has announced her retirement and will not seek re-election in the Oct. 19 vote, said Tuesday her final budget update as minister predicts a deficit of $8.9 billion, up $1.1 billion from a forecast she made earlier this year.
Conroy said she acknowledges “challenges” facing B.C., including three consecutive deficit budgets, but expected improved economic growth where the province will start to “turn a corner.”
The $8.9 billion deficit forecast for 2024-2025 is followed by annual deficit projections of $6.7 billion and $6.1 billion in 2026-2027, Conroy said at a news conference outlining the government’s first quarterly financial update.
Conroy said lower corporate income tax and natural resource revenues and the increased cost of fighting wildfires have had some of the largest impacts on the budget.
“I want to acknowledge the economic uncertainties,” she said. “While global inflation is showing signs of easing and we’ve seen cuts to the Bank of Canada interest rates, we know that the challenges are not over.”
Conroy said wildfire response costs are expected to total $886 million this year, more than $650 million higher than originally forecast.
Corporate income tax revenue is forecast to be $638 million lower as a result of federal government updates and natural resource revenues are down $299 million due to lower prices for natural gas, lumber and electricity, she said.
Debt-servicing costs are also forecast to be $344 million higher due to the larger debt balance, the current interest rate and accelerated borrowing to ensure services and capital projects are maintained through the province’s election period, said Conroy.
B.C.’s economic growth is expected to strengthen over the next three years, but the timing of a return to a balanced budget will fall to another minister, said Conroy, who was addressing what likely would be her last news conference as Minister of Finance.
The election is expected to be called on Sept. 21, with the vote set for Oct. 19.
“While we are a strong province, people are facing challenges,” she said. “We have never shied away from taking those challenges head on, because we want to keep British Columbians secure and help them build good lives now and for the long term. With the investments we’re making and the actions we’re taking to support people and build a stronger economy, we’ve started to turn a corner.”
Premier David Eby said before the fiscal forecast was released Tuesday that the New Democrat government remains committed to providing services and supports for people in British Columbia and cuts are not on his agenda.
Eby said people have been hurt by high interest costs and the province is facing budget pressures connected to low resource prices, high wildfire costs and struggling global economies.
The premier said that now is not the time to reduce supports and services for people.
Last month’s year-end report for the 2023-2024 budget saw the province post a budget deficit of $5.035 billion, down from the previous forecast of $5.9 billion.
Eby said he expects government financial priorities to become a major issue during the upcoming election, with the NDP pledging to continue to fund services and the B.C. Conservatives looking to make cuts.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the debt would be going up to more than $129 billion. In fact, it will be almost $129 billion.
NANAIMO, B.C. – Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney says he’ll be advising the Liberal party to flip some the challenges posed by an increasingly divided and dangerous world into an economic opportunity for Canada.
But he won’t say what his specific advice will be on economic issues that are politically divisive in Canada, like the carbon tax.
He presented his vision for the Liberals’ economic policy at the party’s caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C. today, after he agreed to help the party prepare for the next election as chair of a Liberal task force on economic growth.
Carney has been touted as a possible leadership contender to replace Justin Trudeau, who has said he has tried to coax Carney into politics for years.
Carney says if the prime minister asks him to do something he will do it to the best of his ability, but won’t elaborate on whether the new adviser role could lead to him adding his name to a ballot in the next election.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says she has been taking advice from Carney for years, and that his new position won’t infringe on her role.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
