Fishers Look Elsewhere for Plant Financing

Fishers Look Elsewhere for Plant Financing

Wednesday, July 07, 2004 at 13:03

 

 

Officials representing northern Saskatchewan’s commercial fishers are meeting with funding agencies in Prince Albert today regarding a long-awaited fish processing plant.

 

The plant was supposed to be built in the city last fall, but the commercial fishers co-op has had a hard time raising the 4 million dollars it needs.

 

Spokesman Merle Hewison says they’ve managed to raise about 1.3 million dollars from fishers and other groups, but a long-running funding proposal to Investment Saskatchewan is now dead.

 

Hewison says the fishers’ co-op is focusing its attention on groups like the Farm Credit Corporation and community futures organizations.

 

Hewison says they’ve yet to apply for funding under the Northern Development Agreement, but he says his group is looking at that possibility.

 

Northern Development Board CEO Dean Desjarlais isn’t sure if a funding proposal for the plant would fit their criteria, but thinks there might be a way to get around that if the project is deemed to be good for the northern economy.

 

Hewison is hoping the necessary financing will be in place by next month.

 

If that happens, he says construction on the plant will begin immediately.