Government of Canada Invests in Development of Winter Tourism in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

SAINT-HONORÉ, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Feb. 3, 2012) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, today announced that the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Fjord-du-Saguenay has been granted federal funding to upgrade the quality of more than 200 kilometres of snowmobile trails in the Monts-Valin area in order to better meet the new requirements of local and visiting tourists.

"By investing in winter tourism development projects in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, like this one being carried out by the Fjord-du-Saguenay RCM, our government is showing its firm commitment to supporting the diversification of our regional economies and is contributing to job creation," said Minister Lebel.

The Monts-Valin area, which receives an average of five metres of snow every winter*, enjoys exceptional snow conditions, giving the territory a distinct competitive advantage over other North American snowmobiling sites. With this project, the Fjord-du-Saguenay RCM will be in a position to offer visitors a network of world-class snowmobiling trails. This financial assistance from the federal government will help make the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region one of Quebec's top winter destinations.

Information:

This non-repayable contribution of $1,566,926 has been granted through Canada Economic Development's Community Diversification program.

*Source: Data from Parc national des Monts-Valin.

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