Val-Racine, Quebec – The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, today announced the awarding of $200,000 in repayable funding to Spa Le Montagnais under the Community Economic Diversification Initiative – Vitality to undertake the work necessary to establish a Nordic spa.

Spa Le Montagnais will be the first of its kind in the Granit Regional County Municipality (RCM) to offer a complete range of body care and hydrotherapy and thermotherapy treatments. Successful completion of this project requires that the enterprise acquire equipment and undertake major work.

“Construction of a Nordic spa in the Mégantic region fits in with the current trend to combine health centres with enchanting sites. The Spa Le Montagnais project is a good example of the dynamism of Estrie tourism operators. In Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government has provided $40 million to the Canadian Tourism Commission to break into new markets, with the objective of ensuring tourism development in coming years,” said Minister Paradis.

The proximity of Parc national du Mont-Mégantic is an added plus, given the growing popularity of adventure tourism, outdoor activities and health and wellness vacations. The coexistence of a Nordic spa with other local attractions is bound to attract novelty-seeking visitors. Furthermore, the realization of a large-scale project such as the Spa Le Montagnais will undoubtedly have a ripple effect, opening up new avenues of activity, stimulating tourism traffic at all sites and encouraging travellers to extend their stay in the region.

Completion of the project will result in the creation of five full-time jobs in the first year of operation. Development of the Nordic spa will necessitate an investment of more than $1.8 million, which will generate indirect benefits since local and regional suppliers will be involved in the project.
For more on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, see www.actionplan.gc.ca.