Government of Canada helps Quebec specialty-cheese producer modernize

Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, Quebec – The dairy sector plays a vital role in Canada's economy, contributing $20.9 billion through sales by farmers and food processors, including over $7 billion in Quebec. The Government of Canada knows the importance of supporting a strong and competitive dairy sector, to ensure Canadian families continue to benefit from high-quality products while creating well-paying jobs.

 

Minister of International Development and Member for Parliament of Compton—Stanstead Marie-Claude Bibeau, along with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Member of Parliament for La Prairie Jean-Claude Poissant, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay, today announced an investment of over $1.6 million under the Dairy Processing Investment Fund to La Corporation des Moines Bénédictins (Fromagerie de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac).

 

This project enabled the award-winning Fromagerie de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac to purchase and install modern automation equipment in its new plant, leading to lower operation costs, increased production, higher demand of milk and job creation.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.