Recent grants foster farming in northern Ontario

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

by SUSAN MANN

A $29,425 provincial government grant has helped alpaca farmer Richard Lathwell make improvements to his Manitoulin Island farm.

The funding, from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, was used to build fences, improve the barn and buy equipment for shearing the animals and to weave alpaca fibre into yarn products, says Lathwell, who owns Lobo Loco Alpacas near Sheguiandah on the island.

He notes the funding also helped him hire two people for the farm and “use a lot of local people to do knitting and crocheting.”

The farm has 40 alpacas and Lathwell uses their fibre to produce wool that he sells in his on-farm store and at farmers’ markets. He also sells finished products, such as knitted hats, neck warmers, mittens, gloves and woven rugs.

Lobo Loco Alpacas farm was one of seven businesses receiving a total of $730,000 from the heritage fund corporation. The funding is to help them diversify the products they offer and enhance their services, according to an Oct. 13 press release from the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.

The funding was announced by Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle, who is also chair of the heritage fund corporation. Established in June 1988, the Crown corporation invests in northern businesses and municipalities.

Since 2003, the heritage fund corporation has provided more than $1 billion to fund 6,870 projects in Northern Ontario that have created or sustained more than 25,800 jobs.

The other businesses getting funding as part of the Oct. 13 announcement include:

• $200,000 for Claybelt Drainage in Kapuskasing to build and equip a maintenance facility for its newly established tile drainage installation business.
• $200,000 to Fromagerie Kapuskoise in Kapuskasing to buy equipment to turn a residential home into a cheese factory and retail store serving local residents and visitors travelling along Highway 11.
• $45,000 to Cyr Hay Storage in Assiginack to construct a commercial winter hay storage building.
• $64,664 to Thornloe Cheese in Thornloe to buy additional equipment to expand its cheese product line.
• $80,153 to the R&T Farm in Temiskaming Shores to expand its existing farm structure and buy equipment to meet the growing demand for goat’s milk.
• $110,555 to Collverbrook Farms in Thessalon to buy equipment and increase its shelter and storage space for its crops and livestock expansion.

The $730,000 in funding is part of the Ontario government’s more than $130 billion investment in provincial infrastructure over 10 years. Since April, the provincial government has announced funding for 200 infrastructure projects across Ontario, including 76 in Northern Ontario. BF