HAY RIVER (October 29)– A new federally-certified egg-grading station for the Northwest Territories officially opened Friday in Hay River.
In cutting the ribbon to the state-of-the-art facility on Friday, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment David Ramsay noted that its operation will position the NWT to benefit from the National Regulated Egg Marketing Program and the market opportunities it offers.
“The program contributes to a reliable and sustainable economic base to build our agriculture industry on,” Minister Ramsay said. “We cannot build our territory on resource development alone – healthy economic development hinges on diversity. The GNWT has promoted and supported regulated egg marketing for this very purpose.”
Hay River’s egg-grading facility will enable laid-in-the-NWT eggs to be certified to Canadian Food Inspection Agency standards. The GNWT provided investment and support for this four-year initiative to re-establish a fully regulated and orderly egg marketing industry in the NWT that will allow northern eggs to be sold in local stores and into the southern, wholesale, retail and food service sector.
“As we cut the ribbon and celebrate the official opening of this facility, we also celebrate the capital investment that has been made here in Hay River. We celebrate as many as 20 new jobs that this facility will create for residents of this Town – and we celebrate the launch of a nearly seven million dollar industry in our Territory’s agricultural sector,” the Minister said.
With the official opening of the egg grading facility, almost the entire NWT quota of approximately three million dozens of eggs can now be placed into production - serving the table market in both the NWT and the South.
Supporting the re-establishment of a regulated egg marketing industry in the Northwest Territories advances the 17th Legislative Assembly’s goal of a diversified economy that provides communities and regions with opportunities and choices and helps to attract new capital investment and generate new markets and incomes for NWT products.
In addition to production originating from Hay River, a small allotment of eggs is also being produced in Norman Wells for marketing and sale in Norman Wells and other Sahtu communities.
For more information, contact:
Alayna Ward
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Industry, Tourism and Investment
(867) 920-8696