Four businesses in the region will share in $2.2 million of new provincial funding, with 10Premier Doug Ford visiting some of the recipients Tuesday. He was at RTS Companies in St. Clements, and Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli announced the funding during an earlier stop at Huron Digital Pathology in St. Jacobs.
The two other recipients are Delta Elevator in Kitchener and Blendtek Ingredients of Cambridge.
The funding comes via the province’s Regional Development Program, with the province’s share supporting some $20.5 million in expansion projects planned by the four businesses. The money is expected to help create 85 jobs and retain 233 others.
“Through the Regional Development Program, our government is making targeted investments in local manufacturers to help them create good, local jobs,” said Fedeli in release. “These projects are making a significant impact in communities and economies across Waterloo Region by helping to secure private-sector investments to create conditions for long-term economic growth and build an economy that makes Ontario the best place in the world to do business, work and raise a family.”
In St. Clements, Ford got a tour of RTS Companies’ new 15,000-square-foot facility, which will be home to locally made personal protective equipment. Through the construction of the new facility up to 12 local jobs are expected to be created. The sustainably made disinfectant wipes are mainly used at retail locations.
“Strengthening Waterloo Region’s economic growth by investing in business expansion and job creation is a priority for this provincial government,” said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris. “Today’s announcement is welcome news, especially in Woolwich and Wellesley townships, and demonstrates our commitment to both supporting our community’s urban and rural manufacturers.”
Ford later made another stop in Cambridge, where Blendtek is expecting to create 21 jobs through its expansion project. The company creates and ships ingredients for the food, pharma and industrial sectors.
“At Blendtek, we’re driven by our mission to fuel innovation in food and have made a conscious decision to support the ‘Made in Ontario’ movement,” said Steve Zinger, president of Blendtek Fine Ingredients Inc. in a statement. “Our participation in the Regional Development Program will support the construction and expansion of our new processing facility in Cambridge leading to job creation and purposeful investment into our food product research and development initiatives.”
