$1.5 million for Parry Soun...

$1.5 million for Parry Sound businesses, airport. The federal government is investing $495,000 into the Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport to support infrastructure expansion. On Wednesday, workers assembled the rigid steel framing of an aircraft hangar, one of 24 planned in the airport’s third phase of development. Cameron Ginn/Beacon Star
PARRY SOUND – Nearly $1.5-million is being invested into the District of Parry Sound to strengthen the economy.
At the Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport on Tuesday morning, Parry Sound-Muskoka MP Tony Clement announced that the Canadian government was investing $1,495,000 into the region to support growth and small business development.
The investment will be made available through FedNor, a federal organization that promotes regional economic development in Ontario.
Of the total investment, $1 million will be provided to the Parry Sound Area Community Business and Development Centre as capital in the form of repayable loans, equity and loan guarantees for new and existing small and medium-sized businesses.
The business centre is one of 24 not-for-profit Community Futures Development Corporations funded by FedNor that serve northern Ontario communities and support the creation, growth and success of small and medium-sized businesses.
The remaining $495,000 will support the ongoing expansion of infrastructure at the local airport, enabling area municipalities to benefit from immediate and long-term development opportunities, according to a news release.
“I think there’s a general realization that airports can be a real focus of growth for rural municipalities, that they are part of the mix of how you attract and retain business in the area,” said Clement from inside the Found Aircraft manufacturing hangar, which supports some 35 full-time jobs in the community.
Tony Hamblin, president of Found Aircraft Canada, said support from the business centre and FedNor have been key components in the company’s continued growth.
The airport, a joint venture between Parry Sound and Seguin Township that has entered its third phase of development, was extolled as a regional asset and economic generator by several members of council from the two municipalities, including Parry Sound Mayor Jamie McGarvey and Seguin Township councillors Bruce Gibbon and Doug Sainsbury, who is also chair of the airport commission.
The third phase of development, a $1-million project that includes the construction of 24 additional hangars, began more than six months ago with ground preparations, rock blasting and the installation of water and hydro lines.
“We’ve got a real jewel here,” said Clement before continuing to the airport’s terminal for snacks. “This airport isn’t just a landing strip, it’s a place of business.”

SOURCE:cottagecountrynow.ca