The federal government is committing $950,000 towards a new fish processing plant in Ile a la Crosse.
The facility is expected to increase the profits of the region’s fishers because fish will no longer have to be shipped elsewhere for processing.
Village mayor Duane Favel says the $2.4-million plant couldn’t be built without the federal investment.
“I think the decision whether we move forward or not with this fish processing plant hinged on whether or not the proposal was going to be accepted by Western Diversification,” he says.
Construction on the plant is to begin this fall and be finished by December 2016.
Western Economic Diversification says the new Canadian Food Inspection Agency-certified facility will expand the existing fishing industry in northwest Saskatchewan by introducing new value-added products, such as northern pike roe and deboned northern pike fillets, which will be exported to new international markets.
Favel says the Ile a la Crosse Fish Company recently signed a five-year contract with the Winnipeg-based Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, but the deal gives the company some flexibility to pursue other markets.