Club motoneige Beauce-Frontenac receives $90,000 in funding from the Government of Canada for the acquisition of a new trail groomer

December 22, 2009

Thetford Mines, Quebec – The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, today announced the awarding of $90,000 in repayable funding to Club motoneige Beauce-Frontenac.

Granted through the Community Economic Diversification program, this assistance will serve to finance a portion of the cost of acquiring a new snow grooming machine to maintain the 350 kilometres of snowmobile trails running through the Appalaches Regional County Municipality (MRC) and a section of the Beauce, including those in the Trans-Québec and Trans-régional networks.

“In high season, snowmobiling holds a place of key importance in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. As such, Canada Economic Development is proud to support this Club motoneige Beauce-Frontenac project in order to help the region capitalize on the prime conditions that have led to the sport’s growing popularity here and to bolster the economic spinoffs generated by the winter tourism industry. This funding is also entirely in line with the Government of Canada’s objectives to build the drawing power of Quebec’s communities. By supporting the snowmobiling sector, we are promoting the growth of an industry whose expansion promises to bring about positive returns for our communities,” explained Minister Paradis.

This project is expected to help the Chaudière-Appalaches region, which has 24 snowmobiling clubs operating on its territory, consolidate the gains it has made in the sector. In 2007-2008, organized snowmobiling generated some $37 million in economic spinoffs for the region’s hotel and restaurant operators and equipment rental shops, among others. Moreover, the organization is adding its own efforts to those deployed by regional economic stakeholders to promote and strengthen the positive reputation of the province’s 33,500 kilometres of snowmobile trails, of which 2,700 kilometres are located in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, on markets outside Quebec, particularly in the New England states.