The new plant will cost about $925 million, and is scheduled to be operational in 2026. The federal government’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) will provide up to $415 million in funding to the division of the French pharmaceutical giant, while Ontario is contributing $55 million. (The Logic)

Talking point: The lack of domestic manufacturing capacity has been a flashpoint in the feds’ COVID-19 vaccination plans, and the SIF has now allocated $983.9 million to 10 companies that develop or make inoculations or related supplies. The Sanofi award is the largest ever from Ottawa’s flagship fund, representing more than a tenth of the $3.35 billion assigned to date. The new facility will make the pharma firm’s Fluzone vaccine, and have the ability to produce enough doses for the Canadian population in six months. But unlike the COVID-19 shots, Canada already had domestic facilities capable of making protein-based vaccines for flu variants, including Sanofi’s existing Toronto plant and GlaxoSmithKline’s in Quebec.