For immediate release: 02 August 2006

REVITALIZATION PROJECT PROMOTES NEW BUSINESS
AND MORE JOBS FOR NORTHERN ONTARIO
McGuinty Government Invests In North Bay Downtown Improvement Area

NORTH BAY - The McGuinty government is attracting new businesses and creating new jobs for the North by investing in a revitalization project for the downtown and waterfront areas in North Bay, Monique Smith, MPP for Nipissing, announced today on behalf of Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

"The McGuinty government's support for this project shows that we are on the side of Northerners," said Smith. "This revitalization project will provide the necessary pieces to attract infrastructure and investment needed to continue the development of the downtown and waterfront areas in North Bay."

The government will contribute $22,000 to help the North Bay Downtown Improvement Area develop a revitalization project which will attract new businesses and increase consumer traffic to North Bay's downtown core.

Other government initiatives that support Northern Ontario include:

• Investing more than $1.8 billion over five years to upgrade and expand Northern highways
  
• Investing in Northern schools, including $15.4 million to keep good schools open and $6.6 million to repair and improve schools
  
• Investing in Northern health care, including $25 million to reduce wait times in the North, $6.6 million for telemedicine, and major hospital expansions and improvements in North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay and Sudbury.
  

Today's investment was made through the Rural Economic Development (RED) Program, which invests in projects that support sustainable rural economies and community partnerships - a key part of the government's plan for rural Ontario.

Through the RED program, the Ontario government and its rural partners are building stronger communities that work better for the people who live in them.

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Contacts:
Christopher Flavelle
Minister's Office
416-326-3072

Brian Cardy
Rural Investments Branch
519-826-3787