Ontario abattoir turns to crowdfunding

Saturday, January 9, 2016

One Ontario abattoir is taking an unusual route for funding to expand its business.

According to the Fort Frances Times, Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Inc. (RRDRAI), located in Emo, has been helping to stimulate economic growth and development in the local agriculture community since it opened in 2010. But they now want to expand their distribution and marketing network, which requires a dedicated co-ordinator to run the network at an estimated cost of $50,000.

After hearing how the neighbouring community of Dryden used crowdfunding – the practice of having many people make micro-donations to fund a project, usually through the Internet – to pay for a community greenhouse, the RRDRAI decided to try it out.

On their crowdfunding page is a video narrated by local farmer Kim Jo Bliss. She encourages viewers to participate more in their local farm communities as well as educate themselves about life on local farms and their local food network, mentioning how "small abattoirs are an important link in the local food chain."

As Bliss told the Fort Frances Times, "If we have to truck our animals out of town to have them butchered, we're losing that whole local aspect." The video also talks about how "today's families are appreciating the value of local food as seen by the growth of farmers' markets, which are important to small towns and tourism."

As of mid-November, the campaign had raised $4,195. People can see the video and make their own donations at www.gofundme.com/rrabattoir BF