The Food Bank may be able to move thanks to a grant

In order to acquire the ex Co-op Santé Aylmer, 67, Rue du Couvent, the Aylmer Food Centre (AFC) has asked for a grant from the Ministère de l’Économie (MESI)’s Programme d’immobilisation en entrepreneuriat collectif (PIEC).

“Selected projects should be announced within the next few weeks”, says Jean-Pierre D’Auteuil, MESI spokesperson.

This program enables socio-economic businesses that wish to build, renovate or acquire a building to obtain non-reimbursable financial aid up to $500,000 for the development of their business or their service offer.

 

The PIEC has an envelope of 20 million dollars, spread over five years. A sum of two million dollars has been allocated to this first call for projects, which ended March 31, 2016. The PIEC is one of the pillar measures included in the government’s socio-economic action plan (2015-2020).

“The PIEC is a financial lever to sustainability. This program is a pillar measure in our action plan which will generate investments of over 500 million dollars from now until 2020, as well as contribute to creating or maintaining 30,000 jobs in Quebec”, declared MESI minister Dominique Anglade, March 4.

The Food Bank wants to move because the directors find the $80,000-a-year rent at 70 Eardley Road is too high. Rent is the second highest expense of the Centre. Furthermore, the lease with the owner of the building, Construction GMR Inc., expires in September 2017.

Valérie Dufour, Aylmer Co-op Santé President, preferred not to comment on this file. “We are in the middle of the summer and not much is going on,” she indicated to the Bulletin. “Discussions with many potential buyers are taking place.”

The office of Pontiac MNA André Fortin did not respond to our request for an interview on this matter.

(Trans.: CB)