For Immediate Release
St. Eugene
06/17/2011

Ontario Invests In Local Food Processor, Creates Jobs: McGuinty Government Helps St. Eugene Turn The Corner

NEWS

Ontario is helping Skotidakis Goat Farm – a St. Eugene food processor – double its operations and create 10 new jobs.
 
With support from the province the company is expanding to add four new product lines, gain greater control over deliveries and become more efficient. The company is also expanding its processing capacity from 20 to 30 million litres of milk annually. This expansion will help Skotidakis to better serve its wholesale markets in both Ontario and California. 

Partnering with local business is a key component of the plan laid out in Ontario’s 2011 Budget — Turning the Corner, to create and support 10,000 new and existing jobs for Ontario families and strengthen local economies.

QUOTE

“Skotidakis Goat Farm is contributing to the local economy by expanding its product lines, but more importantly, is creating jobs and providing home grown local food for Ontarians.”
— Jean-Marc Lalonde, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell

“The provincial support for this project has been tremendously welcomed. This is a great time for our company to expand and diversify, create new positions and increase demand from local dairy farmers.”
— John Skotidakis, President, Skotidakis Goat Farm

QUICK FACTS

• Ontario is investing $1-million to support Skotidakis Goat Farm through the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF).
• Since the fund was established in 2008, investments have created almost 1,700 new jobs and supported over 8,000 existing positions.
• In 2010, Ontario was named a top destination for foreign direct investment in North America, second to California. The province attracted a total of 127 Foreign Direct Investment projects which created more than 11,200 jobs.
• Over the last couple of months, Ontario had an increase of 38,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declined to 7.9 per cent.
• As a result of the tax changes implemented in Ontario, taxes on business investment were cut in half, making Ontario more competitive and encouraging to new business growth.

LEARN MORE

• See how Ontario's Budget 2011 is supporting job creation and helping the province's economy to turn the corner.
  Visit www.ontario.ca/easternfund for more information on the Eastern Ontario Development Fund or call 1 866-909-9951.
  Check out other government-funded programs and services for Ontario businesses.  
  

For more information:

Tim Weber
Minister Pupatello's Office
416-325-4520

Eric Shapiro
MEDT Communications Branch
416 325-6698

ontario.ca/economy-news

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