Seastar was conceived by the late Professor Claudius Dornier Jr. It represents the unique know-how and experience accumulated at
Montreal — Globe and Mail Update-
Bertrand Marotte - Dornier Seaplane Co. has picked St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., over North Bay, Ont. as the site of its final assembly plant for a new amphibious aircraft.
The Munich-based company, whose roots go back to Germany 100 years ago, is set to announce the decision today at an event in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu with provincial and municipal politicians in attendance.
Dornier said in a press release Monday that it picked St-Jean, just south of Montreal, based on several factors including strong government support for aerospace; a skilled aerospace labour pool in the region; the large local aviation supply chain; quality educational institutions; and proximity to Lake Champlain for demonstration and test flights.
Dornier had shortened a longer list of potential sites to St-Jean and North Bay and an announcement on which community was to get the nod had been delayed for several weeks.
Details about government financial aid have not been disclosed.
The new facility will help create 250 assembly jobs over the next five years, the company said.
An additional 200 fabrication jobs and 75 jobs at the nearby Pratt and Whitney Canada engine plant will be created over five years, according to the company.
Dornier says the new turboprop plane will be the most advanced of it kind in the world.
