July 18, 1999 (9:30 a.m. EDT) No. 161

MUNICIPALITIES RECEIVE FUNDING TO ATTRACT

FOREIGN INVESTMENT

Sixty-eight municipalities will receive $1.6 million from a federal program to assist in their efforts to attract foreign direct investment, International Trade Minister Sergio Marchi announced today. One hundred and fourteen projects have received funding through the Program for Export Market Development - Investment or "PEMD-I," including projects for Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Saskatoon and other, smaller centres.

"Investors may choose a country, but they invest in a community," said Minister Marchi.

"My job is to show why Canada is the country, and PEMD-I helps municipalities to show why they are the community."

PEMD-I was announced by Minister Marchi on January 13, 1999, with an annual budget of $5 million. It has a two-tier approach.

Tier One helps communities to become investment-ready or to implement modest initiatives to attract investment. Typically, Tier One support will cover training, database development, studies, development of plans, and implementation of investment attraction initiatives. Tier Two is intended to support larger projects aimed directly at attracting investment to Canada. These projects are to complement ongoing community economic development programs.

"We need to attract investment, right down to the community level," said Minister Marchi. "This is teamwork at its best -- the public and private sectors in partnership to produce jobs for our communities."

The minister pointed out that one Canadian job in ten is attributable to foreign direct investment. It boosts Canada's business know-how, technology base, and spending on research and development. Canadian exports find buyers more easily with more international business linkages. And Canada becomes more competitive in the international marketplace, which means jobs and economic prosperity for communities in every part of the country. "If communities are interested in these kinds of benefits, I urge them to consider how the PEMD-I program could help them," added Mr. Marchi.

New applicants are invited to contact Barbara Elias of Investment Partnerships Canada, at (613) 941-3555.

The program and its operating criteria are described on the Department's Internet site: www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/investcan/frames-e.htm

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A backgrounder listing the projects is attached.

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Leslie Swartman

Office of the Minister for International Trade

(613) 992-7332

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

Barbara Elias

Investment Partnerships Canada

(613) 941-3555

Backgrounder

PEMD-I SUPPORT UNDER TIER I:

1998-1999 & 1999-2000 (TO DATE)

Province PEMD-I Support ($)

Alberta

Alberta First Com Ltd. 25 000.00

Alberta Industrial Heartland 40 000.00

Alberta's Industrial Heartland 6 100.00

Calgary Economic Development Authority 29 187.00

Calgary Economic Development Authority 38 000.00

Central Alberta Economic Partnership 15 000.00

Central Alberta Economic Partnership 26 500.00

County of Warner 889.00

Crowsnest Pass Economic Development Board 4 150.00

Crowsnest Pass Economic Development 14 100.00

Drayton Valley Brazeau Economic Development 2 175.00

Drumheller Regional Chamber of Development 1 000.00

Economic Development Edmonton 39 000.00

Economic Development Edmonton 47 500.00

Ermineskin First Nation 24 332.00

Leduc-Nisku 9 000.00

Town of Edson 921.00

Vulcan County 750.00

British Columbia

City of Victoria 50 000.00

District of Tumbler Ridge 1 927.28

District of Tumbler Ridge 1 132.55

Economic Development Commission for the Central Okanagan 25 000.00

Economic Development Commission for the Central Okanagan 15 000.00

Greater Vancouver Economic Partnership Society 50 000.00

North Okanagan Development Corporation 26 200.00

Prince George Region Development Corporation 853.00

Prince George Region Development Corporation 1 113.05

Manitoba

City of Winnipeg 40 000.00

Eastman Regional Development Inc. 11 200.00

Eastman Regional Development Inc. 17 500.00

East Parkland Economic Development 925.00

MacDonald Development Corporation 20 000.00

Westman Economic Development Association Inc. 37 500.00

New Brunswick

Commission d'expansion économique de la Péninsule 10 500.00

Commission économique de Kent 1 175.00

Municipalité de Dieppe/Parc industriel 982.00

Synergy Network NB (tri-city area -- Moncton, Fredericton and St. John) 31 593.00

Newfoundland

No projects were submitted.

Nova Scotia

Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority 19 029.50

Guysborough County Regional Development Authority 50 000.00

Lunenburg Queens Development Agency 28 644.00

Strait-Highlands RDA 10 000.00

Western Valley Development Authority 1 248.00

Ontario

Canada's Technology Triangle 49 850.00

Canada's Technology Triangle 1 050.00

City of Cornwall 22 987.00

City of Mississauga 38 875.00

City of Sault Ste. Marie 47 850.00

City of Sault Ste. Marie 46 600.00

City of Sault Ste. Marie 28 800.00

City of Toronto 25 000.00

City of Toronto 26 000.00

City of Toronto 3 672.00

County of Lennox & Addington 21 750.00

County of Oxford 4 775.00

Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance (GTMA) 2 750.00

London Economic Development Corp. 50 000.00

Niagara Economic & Tourism Corporation 25 000.00

North Bay Economic Development Commission 605.00

Ottawa Economic Development Corp. 50 000.00

Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth 31 063.00

Sarnia-Lambton Office of Economic Development 17 500.00

Town of Richmond Hill 7 625.00

Township of Osgoode 683.00

Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown Area Development Corp. 30 000.00

Quebec

Centre local de développement économique des Moulins 50 000.00

CLD des Cantons de l'Est (Haute-Yamaska) 7 500.00

CLD de la municipalité de Francheville 50 000.00

CLD de la MRC de Memphrémagog 20 000.00

CLD Vaudreuil-Soulanges 28 850.00

Commissariat au développement économique de Boucherville 17 349.00

Conseil de développement des affaires de West-Island 50 000.00

Conseil régional de concertation et de développement de la Gaspésie

et des Îles de la Madeleine 27 250.00

Laval Technopole 22 384.00

Laval Technopole 21 000.00

Montréal International 45 469.00

Montréal International 44 939.00

Montréal International 22 144.00

Montréal International 21 323.00

Montréal International 14 461.00

Montréal International 14 461.00

Montréal International 14 461.00

Montréal International 14 461.00

Montréal International 13 386.00

Montréal International 86 000.00

Parc technologique du Québec métropolitain 38 387.00

Société de développement économique de Drummondville 8 000.00

Société de développement économique de la région sherbrookoise 24 000.00

Société de développement économique Thérèse-de-Blainville 16 500.00

Société de diversification économique de l'Outaouais 15 142.00

Société de diversification économique de l'Outaouais 36 500.00

Société de promotion économique du Québec métropolitain 10 000.00

Société de promotion économique du Québec métropolitain 13 127.00

Société de promotion économique du Québec métropolitain 5 358.00

Société de promotion économique du Québec métropolitain 5 250.00

Ville d'Anjou 5 000.00

Ville Mont-Royal 5 745.00

Ville Mont-Royal 6 500.00

Saskatchewan

Carlton Trail Regional Economic Development Authority 15 531.20

City of Prince Albert 740.00

Regina Regional Development Authority 20 000.00

Saskatchewan Economic Developers Association 4 257.00

Saskatchewan Economic Developers Association 14 250.00

PEMD-I SUPPORT UNDER TIER II:

1998-1999 & 1999-2000 (TO DATE)

Community Organization PEMD-I Support ($)

Greater Halifax Partnership, Halifax, NS 51 400.00

Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, Toronto, ON 238 487.00

Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, Toronto, ON 30 000.00

Montréal International, Montreal, Que. 300 000.00

Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority 50 000.00

Société de promotion économique du Québec métropolitain 150 000.00