The Town of Amherstburg has secured over $800,000 in provincial funding to support industrial development.
The town was successful in their application to the provincial Trade Impact Community Program (TICP), securing $838,000 in funding to better understand the Howard Industrial Park area, and position it as a premier location for industrial investment.
The grant funds a combination of targeted studies, consulting services and dedicated positions focused on industrial land analysis, market readiness, and investment attraction strategies specific to the Howard Industrial Park.
The Howard Industrial Park District offers more than 700 acres of industrial land located along the east side of Howard Avenue and south of County Road 8. It is currently zoned as Industrial, however, much of this land remains undeveloped.
Today's announcement marks the first deployment of funding under the TICP, and will create nearly 500 new jobs and protect 244 more.
Amherstburg deputy mayor Chris Gibb says council has been working on this for three years to bring more development and investments to the town.
"This funding will move that timetable forward by probably two years that we can start marketing, and developing a plan so that we can attract investment, and have an entire plan together to show to potential investors what options they have available."
He says this funding will assist the town moving forward.
"Targeted studies, expert consulting, and dedicated resources to better understand and market these industrial lands. So it'll improve market readiness, and basically strengthen the town's investment attraction efforts for people across the province."
Gibb says the town needed some good news following the recent closure of the Diageo plant.
"We have a very large residential tax base, so this helps offset the tax cost for the residential taxpayers by bringing in some industrial taxpayers. And like we say, we're looking to bring in industry that will come along with jobs... well paying, good steady jobs."
Gibb says the area is already zoned for industrial, the secondary plan was completed, and the town will now develop a plan to reach out to different industries to see if they're interested in coming to Amherstburg.
Funding through the Trade Impact Community Program is cost-shared, with 75 per cent provided by the province and 25 per cent by the municipality.
The town's portion was allocated in the operating budget, and will not affect the tax rate.