ACOA funds cold storage, mussel marketing

The minister of state for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency was in eastern P.E.I. Tuesday announcing millions of dollars of infrastructure spending and help for the mussel industry.

Keith Ashford started with the federal government's $1 million share of a water and sewer infrastructure for Main Street in Souris, the total cost of which will be shared evenly with the provincial and municipal governments.

Ashford then announced $1.5 million in federal and provincial money for a new cold storage facility being built in the Souris Food Park. The cost of that project is $3.5 million. The 23,000-square-foot facility will have capacity for 2.25 million kilograms of food, and be used for a variety of products, including seafood and fruit and vegetable processors in the area.

The mussel industry also received a boost during the visit. Federal and provincial money totaling $900,000 will go to a new marketing program, promoting mussels from eastern Canada throughout North America.

That program, being overseen by the Mussel Industry Council, will get started in June.