Can this tree fight cancer?

NEWS RELEASE: NORTHERN ONTARIO HERITAGE FUND

*************************** McGuinty Government supports agriculture project that may help fight cancer

THESSALON – The McGuinty government is helping to build a strong and prosperous northern economy by exploring the research and development potential for farming Canada Yew in Northern Ontario, Northern Development and Mines Minister and Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) Chair Rick Bartolucci announced today.

"The potential for yew products, including cancer treatment drugs, could open an important new crop market and generate significant new economic opportunities in Northern Ontario," said Bartolucci.

"I am delighted this important research will take place in the North and involve a number of partners including Aboriginal interests in the Algoma area."

The project will evaluate the potential for growing Canada Yew - a native shrub from which a valuable anticancer compound is extracted - on northern farms and identify best practices for its cultivation.

The NOHFC will provide $117,750 to this unique partnership, which includes the Upper Lakes Environmental Research Network, the Ontario Forest Research Institute (OFRI), Thessalon First Nation, and others.

Research will occur at three sites in the Algoma District, including the Thessalon First Nation Bio Centre, the OFRI arboretum and a local farm near the Town of Thessalon.

It builds on the existing strengths of the area in the forestry biotech sector.

"Because many northern farms remain under family ownership, it is important to sustain a healthy agricultural sector that creates opportunity and motivation for future generations of farmers to remain in the North," said Bartolucci.

"I am confident the agricultural sector will continue to be an important contributor to the North’s economy."

The McGuinty government is returning the Fund to its original mandate of fostering private sector job creation. The NOHFC is working in partnership with the private sector and other levels of government to diversify the northern economy and stimulate job growth.

It is an essential part of the government's commitment to delivering a four year plan for positive change across Northern Ontario.

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