Montreal: Moli-Flex White Group and other shareholders have announced plans to invest $25.5 million in Cine Cite Montreal, a multi-studio soundstage complex located 15 minutes from downtown Montreal on the former Saint-Hubert military air base.

Cine Cite Montreal will house five production studios totaling 61,500 square feet, including two 15,000 square-foot soundproofed studios, camera and equipment rental facilities, various craft services, and a helicopter leasing service.

The managing partner, Moli-Flex White Group s.e.c., is headed by chairman Paul Bronfman, vp Emmanuel Lepine, vp and gm Martin Fontaine and vp marketing and development Benoit Hogue.

Moli-Flex White Group is the result of a merger between Moli-Flex White, the long-established Quebec service partnership between Bronfman’s William F. White and Lepine’s Moli-Flex, and Studio Cine Cite, which owned the land in St-Hubert and was a partnership between Fontaine and Montreal businessman George Durst. Durst was bought out by the new partnership group last month.

Moli-Flex White Group is investing $7.5 million in the expansion. sodec has guaranteed a $4-million loan from Fonds pour l’accroissement de l’investissement prive et la relance de l’emploi while Societe Generale du Financement du Quebec is putting up an additional $5 million, giving sfg a 40% share in the studio complex. sodec is also covering interest payments for up to $12 million in capitalization from the National Bank of Canada.

According to the promoters, Quebec currently has 10% of the available studio space in Canada (94,500 square feet), with up to 85% almost equally split between Ontario and b.c.

Quebec Finance Minister Bernard Landry says Cine Cite Montreal could facilitate up to $75 million a year in new foreign production in the Montreal region.

The completion date for the expansion is Labour Day.