March 12, 2018 –Woodbridge, ON – Francesco Sorbara, Member of Parliament for Vaughan-Woodbridge, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, along with MPP for Vaughan, Minister Steven Del Duca, announced that local cheese producer Quality Cheese Inc. will be receiving $120,000 in funding through a federal-provincial joint initiative, Growing Forward 2.

These investments will assist Quality Cheese Inc. in continuing to drive growth and provide opportunities for the middle class. Through these investments, this initiative will help hundreds of Ontario food processors continue to grow their businesses and grow our economy and quality Cheese Inc. is a good example of how small businesses are creating good, local jobs and driving the economy here in Vaughan-Woodbridge and throughout Ontario.

Investments in small business food processors, like Quality Cheese Inc., are integral to our economy, as they make up the single largest employers of all manufacturing industries in Canada – even bigger than the automotive sector.  Food processing businesses around the country contribute to approximately half of all Canadian agriculture and food exports.

Investments in the food processing sector will benefit businesses and individuals in our province and across the country, and by focusing on small businesses this initiative will continue to foster local entrepreneurship and investments into our economy.

Quote

“Food processors like Quality Cheese Inc., right here in Woodbridge, make up the single largest employers of all manufacturing industries in Canada and they contribute about half of all Canadian agriculture and food exports. Our Government knows that investments in food processing will pay off for people in this province and across Canada and we want to continue to build upon this significant work, setting an ambitious goal of growing Canada’s agri-food exports to $75 billion by 2025.”

- Francesco Sorbara, Member of Parliament for Vaughan-Woodbridge

“By investing in local businesses such as Quality Cheese Inc., our government is supporting the economic growth of York region while building up our province’s food and beverage processing sector. I’m pleased to be here today to see first-hand the results of our investments, which are helping grow communities like Woodbridge and our province’s broader agri-food sector.”

- Steven Del Duca, MPP for Vaughan

Quick Facts

• The provincial and federal governments are investing almost $18 million towards more than 300 projects across the province as part of this announcement.

• Under Growing Forward 2, government are investing $3 billion over 5 years in strategic initiatives to stimulate innovation, competitiveness, and market development.

• The provincial and federal governments have committed more than $50 million in cost-shared funding assistance to eligible food and beverage processors towards more than 950 GF2 projects.

• The Canadian Agricultural Partnership will follow Growing Forward 2, launching on April 1, 2018.

Learn More

• Growing Forward 2 in Ontario
• Quality Cheese Inc.

For more information, please contact [email protected].