Montréal – The Minister Responsible for Social Solidarity and Community Action of the Government of Quebec, Chantal Rouleau, along with the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions of the Government of Canada, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, and the Head of Economic and Commercial Development, Knowledge, Innovation and Design of the Ville de Montréal, Luc Rabouin, jointly announced this morning the creation of the Carrefour d’innovation bioalimentaire de l’Est, during the Sommet de l’Est organized by the Chambre de commerce de l’Est de Montréal.
The Carrefour d’innovation bioalimentaire, led by the Collège de Maisonneuve, the Cuisine collective Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (CCHM) and PME MTL Centre-Est, will be located at 5600 Rue Hochelaga. The centre will make it possible to fill in the missing link enabling food sector organizations to grow, including those involved in the social economy and community action that do not otherwise have access to research and development. It will be a point of convergence dedicated to strengthening the impact, actions, and competitiveness of organizations in Montréal’s East End by giving them access to advanced equipment, expertise, and a network of partners.
The three levels of government commit to investing $300,000 each, for a total of $900,000 in government investments, in addition to $1M in funding from the Carrefour’s partners. The project will thus have a total of nearly $2M in investment support. The Carrefour d’innovation bioalimentaire de l’Est will be a veritable pilot plant available to the economic, community and knowledge sectors to meet their needs to innovate in food processing and small-scale product creation. It will thereby help respond to current challenges around food security and strengthen community resilience in the East End, with a view to sustainable development and social innovation.
“The Carrefour d’innovation bioalimentaire will be a veritable engine in the fight against food insecurity in Montréal’s East End. This pilot plant I announced today is a flagship measure in my food security game plan. It will enable community organizations and social economy businesses to have access to quality equipment and research professionals. They will thus be able to improve access among the vulnerable to quality nutritional food. We are establishing a new landmark in Montréal’s East End to improve food security across Quebec.” – Chantal Rouleau, Minister Responsible for Social Solidarity and Community Action and Member for Pointe-aux-Trembles