Bonnie James
MRC PONTIAC – The MRC Pontiac has 2 million in funding available and has launched a Call for Projects to be covered by the fourth stream of the Regions and Rurality Fund (FRR). The MRC is looking for projects that would contribute to the vitalization of the region. According to the website of the Ministère des Affaires municipals et de l’Habitation (MAMH), vitalization includes “all the actions taken by a community to revitalize its environment and improve the quality of life of its population in a sustainable way”. This call for projects focuses specifically on initiatives that would benefit economic, urban, natural, or community development. “If you have a project, we want to see the project. We want to talk with promoters. We want to really get a
lot of good projects going on,” Guillaume Boudreau, Director of Economic Development, said in an interview with CHIP FM. “If it helps grow the economy of the Pontiac, we might be there with you to do it.”
A variety of entities are able to qualify for the funding, including: businesses, non-profit organizaitons, band councils, educational organizations, and municipalities. Boudreau emphasized that anyone with a relevant project should consider applying, as many projects will be eligible.
Projects submitted will be graded based on several factors including their sophistication and their alignment with the program’s objectives. Once graded, the projects will be ranked, and the funds distributed accordingly. Priority will be given to projects impacting communities that Quebec’s Ministry of Municipal Affiars and Housing (MAMH) considers to have the lowest economic vitality. These communities are designated as “Q5” on MAMH’S economic vitality index, determined by considering its labour market (rate of workers), standard of living (median total income of individuals), and demographic dynamism (average annual population growth rate over five years). In the Pontiac, the Q5 communities are: Chichester, Waltham, Fort-Coulonge, Campbell’s Bay, L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet, Portage-du-Fort, Otter Lake, Bristol, Rapides-des-Joachims, and Alleyn-et-Cawood.
Interested parties are encouraged to review the applicant guide on the MRC’s website, which can be found under “Programs – Regions and Rurality Fund (FFR) – Component 4”. After reviewing the guide, applicants are invited to call the Department of Economic Development to discuss their project and review the application process: (819) 648-5689 au poste 122 . Applications are being accepted until August 25, 2023 at 12:00 pm (noon).
