Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island – Agriculture and Agri-Food
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Member of Parliament for Egmont Gail Shea announced today funding of $4 million for infrastructure improvements at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) facilities in Prince Edward Island (PEI) to improve research capabilities for the agriculture sector and support its economic growth.
The Crops and Livestock Research Centre (CLRC) in Charlottetown will receive $2 million, towards modernizing existing laboratory facilities to better support the research activities at the centre. An additional $2 million will go to expanding greenhouse facilities at the Harrington Research Farm to create more high-quality greenhouse space that will support the priorities of the CLRC.
In addition to $4 million for CLRC, AAFC facilities in the Atlantic region (PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland) will receive $1.3 million for upgrades to exhaust systems as well as repairs to roofs and roads.
Quick facts
- These investments come from $47.5 million that AAFC received as part of the Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan (EAP) that helps build and renew infrastructure projects across the country.
- The agriculture and food industry is an important driver of the PEI economy, with over $488 million in farm cash receipts and $588 million in exports in 2014.
- The expanded greenhouse space at the Harrington farm will provide environmentally controlled conditions to study plants with elevated levels of food/feed bioactive molecules.
Source: AAFC