Voyageur 2021 September

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V16 • I8 • SEPTEMBER 2021

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

VOYAGEUR

CNEA DONATES $240,000 TO NORTH FORGE EAST Consortium announces three-year funding commitment to local business incubator Last month, Canadian National Energy Alliance (CNEA), the consortium that operates CNL, announced that it will be donating $240,000 to North Forge East (NFE) to support economic development in Eastern Manitoba. The donation raises the total CNEA contributions made to NFE in recent years to nearly $650,000, funding that is being used to encourage entrepreneurship, business innovation, and commercialization in the region. Joe McBrearty, CNL’s President and CEO, was joined by Blair Skinner, Mayor of Pinawa, John Gilbert, Head of the Whiteshell Closure Project, and Shane Li, President of North Forge East, for a cheque presentation ceremony to celebrate the donation. The funding will be allocated to NFE in the form of annual $80,000 payments delivered over the next three years. “CNEA is excited to continue to support NFE programs and services, which have already made a meaningful difference in the lives of many local residents here in Pinawa and the surrounding communities,” commented Joe McBrearty on behalf of the CNEA Board of Directors. “As the decommissioning of Whiteshell Laboratories progresses, CNEA has a responsibility to help bring economic opportunity to the region. NFE not only helps local residents start their own new businesses, but it also helps these companies grow and penetrate new markets, all of which can stimulate the local economy. We’re proud to be a partner in that work.” North Forge is a non-profit organization that supports new business start-ups in the Province of Manitoba, and the NFE division was created to help incubate new businesses in the Pinawa region due to the Whiteshell closure project. According to NFE, the new funding will be used to support ongoing operational costs and to continue to help encourage economic growth and opportunity for the local economy by supporting local entrepreneurs who are working to establish and grow sustainable businesses. “Over the past five years, CNEA has invested $400,000 towards NFE programs, which has helped to support 43 new start-up proposals, 30 of which continue to make strong progress with their business plans,” commented Jack Craig Jr., Chair of the CNEA Board of Directors. “And some of these start-ups are moving directly to Pinawa to launch their new companies, which creates employment and helps grow the local

Blair Skinner, Mayor of Pinawa; Joe McBrearty; Shane Li, President of NFE; and John Gilbert, Head of the Whiteshell Closure Project.

economy, just as the program was designed to do. We hope to build on this success with this new three-year funding commitment.” To date, participation in NFE’s programs have far surpassed the organization’s original estimates, and the incubator recognizes the important role that CNEA’s funding has played in that progress. Blair Skinner, Mayor of the Local Government District of Pinawa and Board Member of NFE is also very appreciative of the ongoing support from CNEA and CNL. “CNEA has provided funding for North Forge East since its inception in 2016, which has enabled the NFE team to exceed our forecast for attracting entrepreneurs and encouraging people to move to Pinawa to start their businesses,” explained Skinner. “In addition, NFE President Shane Li has established a provincial pipeline for international entrepreneurs through the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program, and a federal pathway through the Start Up Visa program. NFE is also a member of the National Angel Capital Organization and recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Futurpreneur Canada, which has already led to the referral of new clients to the region.” “All of these opportunities were made possible by CNEA donations, and the community of Pinawa is very grateful for another threeyear funding commitment to maintain the momentum of this very important project, which helps to diversify the economy of Pinawa and our neighbouring municipalities,” added Skinner.


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Voyageur 2021 September by CanadianNuclearLaboratories - Issuu