HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT CANADA

The Government of Canada funds eight projects to assist ice storm victims and create jobs

KINGSTON, ONTARIO, April 1998– Mr. Peter Milliken, MP for Kingston and the Islands, and Mr. Larry McCormick, MP for Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre S. Pettigrew, Minister of Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), today announced funding of more than $1.4 million for eight ice storm relief projects in the Kingston and the Islands area. The projects will provide 208 Ontario residents with valuable job experience and will help others cope with the effects of the ice storm. These funds have been made available through HRDC's $50 million Storm Assistance Fund.

"These projects will help our region get back on its feet again after the devastation of the ice storm," said Mr. Milliken. "At the same time, our partners are working diligently to help us prepare fully for any future emergency situation. The high level of co-operation between the municipalities and townships, the local organizations, the Government of Canada, and those individuals affected by the storm, sets a strong example for Canadians across the country."

The Government of Canada is working in partnership with numerous organizations, including the Community Foundation of Greater Kingston, Willis and Willis ECCO Tech Inc., the Frontenac Kingston Council on Ageing, Queen's University, the Quinte Conservation, the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority, and the Frontenac Stewardship.