Fonds d'initiatives nordiques - Selected initiatives - Spring 2022

The Fonds d'initiatives nordiques, which is part of the Government of Quebec's Northern Action Plan 2020-2023, is a financial assistance program that aims to respond in real time to priority needs of Northern communities. It has a total envelope of $11 million. Since its inception, many projects from all regions of Quebec's northern territory have been selected for financial support. Here is the list of initiatives selected during the 3rd call for projects.

Community development and environmental conservation 

• Coopérative Serres et Pépinière Girardville will acquire and redevelop a single‑family property in the municipality to create housing for foreign workers. ($80,000)

• The Town of Girardville will devise a development plan for the Centre plein air Lac‑des‑Coudes. It wants to build mini‑cabins and upgrade the existing infrastructure for a year‑round tourism offer. ($27,000)

Community development and environmental conservation 

The Regroupement des CPE Côte‑Nord and the region's coordinating offices will train new family daycare providers. The three‑week courses will focus on child development, first aid and nutrition. ($30,000)

• The Regroupement des CPE Côte‑Nord will also create the first regional ALEX cohort, a framework for education through nature in educational childcare. The project also aims to provide teaching material that is appropriate to the environments and to support educators during this transition. ($100,000)
• The non‑profit organization Village Forestier d'antan de Franquelin will enhance its tourism service offering by introducing new activities to share the knowledge and heritage of the inhabitants of the Franquelin area. The project will allow the organization to expand its operations in the spring and fall. ($73,651).
• The Comité ZIP Côte‑Nord du Golfe will support the development and implementation of the Waste Management Plan of the regional county municipality (RCM) Golfe‑du‑Saint‑Laurent by combating illegal dumping in the Basse‑Côte‑Nord Territory. It will support the local working committee in integrating community needs, local authority capacities and tools used elsewhere in the Côte‑Nord region. ($80,000)
• Organisme de bassins versants Duplessis will develop a project to restore off‑road vehicle trail crossings to improve the ecological connectivity of 23 streams in Baie des Sept‑Îles. ($8,857)
• Parc Nature de Pointe‑aux‑Outardes will improve its services and trails to make nature more accessible to everyone, including people with reduced mobility. ($60,680)
• The Société d'aide au développement des collectivités (SADC) Côte‑Nord will host the 26th Provincial Conference of SADCs and Business Development Centres in June of 2022. Business tours, conferences, discussion sessions and project presentations are planned. ($20,000)
• The Municipality of Franquelin will implement a tourist rest area along Highway 138 to attract road users and retain citizens. ($100,000)
• The Consortium de recherche sur la pomme de terre du Québec will modernize its genetic improvement program through the use of new biomolecular technologies and more efficient growing methods. ($100,000)
• The RCM of Caniapiscau will conduct a pre‑feasibility study to develop a comprehensive action plan for all residual materials on its territory. ($47,000)
• The RCM of Caniapiscau will also mandate a specialized firm to design a new industrial park to meet the needs of Fermont businesses. ($100,000)
• The Musée régional de la Côte‑Nord will renew its permanent exhibition using immersive technologies that will promote popularization. The new exhibit will be offered in English, French, and Innu. ($80,000)
• The Coopérative de solidarité en tourisme équitable (COSTE) will undertake a collaborative digital shift by automating its sales services, supporting businesses in the purchase of software and providing training. ($77,176)
• Hommes Sept‑Îles will increase the capacity of its facilities for fathers and their children in crisis, and enhance the services that accompany the shelter. ($462,930)
• Productions Innu Assi will produce, in partnership with the Uapishka Station and Laval University, a documentary podcast series on the ancestral nomadic lifestyle of the Innu. ($85,293)
• Coasters Association Inc. will establish a new gathering place for youth aged 15 to 35 living in the Basse‑Côte‑Nord Territory around the themes of innovation, technology, entrepreneurship, education and training. ($418,500)
• The Baie‑Comeau Yacht Club will build a floating toilet block at the Baie Saint‑Pancrace wharf to accommodate the growing number of visitors and will purchase a compressor for diving tanks. ($90,000)

Northern entrepreneurial initiatives

• The Distillerie Québec North Shore Distillery Inc., in Chute‑aux‑Outardes, will develop a new spirit based on the fruit of the corm tree in partnership with the Centre d'expérimentation et de développement en forêt boréale. ($90,500)
• Métal 7, in Sept‑Îles, will develop a better operating model for innovation within its organization. ($100,000)
• Groupe UMEK will conduct a technical feasibility study for the construction and implementation of a lobster pound. ($51,875)
• The Centre de développement bioalimentaire du Québec, in collaboration with L'Or rouge de la Côte‑Nord and McGill University, will validate the performance of a process for producing chitosan, a biopolymer, from crab shells. ($44,950)

Community development and environmental conservation

• The Lebel‑sur‑Quévillon municipal campground will develop eight new three‑service campsites and two new sites with ready‑to‑camp facilities. ($100,000)
• Attraction Nord, the James Bay regional promotion organization, will hire a resource specialized in human resources management to support businesses and organizations in recruiting and retaining their workforce. ($100,000)
• The Société d'histoire régionale de Chibougamau will study the industrial development of the greater James Bay region in order to draw up a timeline highlighting the development of the territory based on its industries. ($94,879)
• Radio Matagami will renovate one of its halls to make it into the first art gallery in Eeyou Istchee James Bay. ($64,890)
• The Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association will offer traditional camp construction workshops to rehabilitate individuals subject to judicial control who are required to perform community service. ($100,000)

Community development and environmental conservation 

• The Centre d'études pour l'autonomie économique des Premiers Peuples et des Inuits, affiliated with the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), will create entrepreneurial support tools adapted to the Inuit culture. ($100,000)