New facility for underground science in Sudbury receives $9.3M in funding

Sudbury, ON August 7, 2003 New opportunities for researchers in underground science are being enhanced with C$9.3 million in funding for a new facility to be built at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.

“Supporting a culture of innovation is vital to our province’s continued prosperity,” says Jim Flaherty, minister of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation. “We are proud to enhance Ontario’s status as a player in the field of international research. Knowledge-based industries must be supported if we are to remain competitive in the global marketplace.”

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Institute (SNO), in co-operation with a number of private and public sector partners, including Queen’s, Carleton, Guelph and Laurentian universities, will establish the International Facility for Underground Science at Creighton Mine in Sudbury. Ontario’s funding will support the construction of above-ground structures at the facility, including 20,000 sq ft of laboratory space, workshops, offices and meetings rooms.

Provincial funding is being provided through Ontario Innovation Trust ($4.8 million) and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation ($4.5 million).

“This facility will provide new science opportunities for Canadian researchers and international collaborators in the rapidly developing field of particle astrophysics. The surface building is essential to support our underground experiments,” says Dr David Sinclair, SNOLAB principal investigator. “We are very pleased that the Ontario government could support this high-technology research project in Northern Ontario, which will create jobs for some 35 skilled staff.”