Charest announces another $55 million for Plan Nord

Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest announced Tuesday that an additional 55 million dollars will be invested in the Plan Nord.

The plan’s goal is to develop the northern region of Quebec in order to efficiently extract its natural resources. More specifically, they want to build Route 167 that will connect the city of Chibougamau to the Renard mine site which will become the first diamond mine in Quebec.

According to CTV Montreal, the added funds will mostly be used for on-the-job training projects, job fairs, and reaching out to those seeking work.

Geoff Kelley, the Minister of Native Affairs, says that the Charest government is trying to reach to the First Nation communities through these programs. Kelley also hopes to eradicate housing and social problems this way.

But the response isn’t all favorable. Opposition leaders fear that too much money from Quebecer taxpayers will be given to foreign companies.

Flickr photo by: psauve