Government of Canada grants $206,550 for feasibility study on Wakefield steam train station in Chelsea

December 11, 2009

Chelsea, Quebec – Acting on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for Pontiac, today announced the awarding of $206,550 in non-repayable funding to the Community Table of the National Human Resources Development Committee for the English Linguistic Minority.

Granted through the Community Diversification program, this financial assistance will enable the organization to conduct a multi-level study on the technical feasibility and commercial viability of operating a train station for the Wakefield steam engine in the municipality of Chelsea.

“The Government of Canada lent its financial support to restoring service of the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield steam train, a major tourist attraction for the region, and is backing the efforts of local economic stakeholders to promote the growth of this railway infrastructure. This Community Table project has been the first one to come to light since the resumption of the train service. A promising initiative for a community like Chelsea, this project is also sure to generate significant economic spinoffs for the region as a whole,” stated Minister Cannon.

The project proposed by the Community Table involves initiating discussions with Chelsea businesses and HCW train authorities in order to develop broad local consensus on a business plan and sketches for an eventual train station. In supporting this project, the Government of Canada is hoping to encourage the private sector to invest in the construction of the Chelsea station, an infrastructure that would become a key factor in enhancing the tourism offering in the region.

Tourism is a promising growth sector for the Outaouais region, as are agri-food processing, high technology and the transformation of value-added forest products. It is therefore in these priority areas that Canada Economic Development has decided to focus its development efforts in the region.

“We are pursuing our actions to ensure communities are able to seize opportunities and strive for the economic health they rightfully deserve. Indeed, our government adopted Canada’s Economic Action Plan precisely to tackle the economic crisis that has hit our country, along with the rest of the world. This large-scale measure is aimed not only at bringing about our rapid recovery, but also at laying the foundations for solid long-term economic growth and job creation. 

This Plan will lead to the investment of nearly $62 billion in our economy over the next two years,” Minister Cannon concluded.

For more on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.