SAINT-LAZARE-DE-BELLECHASSE, Que. — The Quebec government is providing $546,000 to Radio Bellechasse-Etchemins, known to listeners as Passion FM, to help the French-language community station move to new premises.
The funding announcement was made Monday by Stephanie Lachance, member of the Quebec national assembly for Bellechasse and parliamentary assistant to the minister of families, on behalf of the Quebec minister of culture and communications, Nathalie Roy.
Passion FM operates in Lac-Etchemin, Que., along with several repeaters in Armagh, Saint-Malachie, Saint-Anselme and Saint-Jean de l’Île d’Orléans. According to the French news release, the radio station is forced to leave its current premises and relocate to continue its operations. The station’s new location will be more visible and larger, offering amenities that meet industry standards, says the release. The financial assistance is allocated under the ministry’s capital assistance program and will cover part of the costs of the relocation project.
“Community media play a vital role in the regions, both for the local and social economy, and carry the voice of citizens by being firmly anchored in their communities. As Minister of Culture and Communications, I am proud to be part of a government that supports this sector, generating hundreds of jobs and mobilizing many volunteers in the production of quality content essential to our democracy,” said Roy, in an English translation of the release.
“The financial assistance announced today will allow Radio Bellechasse-Etchemins to remain the flagship we know, a radio station that resembles us and brings us together, which has been part of our identity for nearly 30 years. I salute all the partners who will help my fellow citizens to remain at the forefront of cultural, social, political, economic and sporting life in Bellechasse and Les Etchemins,” added Lachance.
