(Cambridge) Moderna is partnering with a plant in Cambridge, Ontario, for the final stages of its mRNA vaccines that will be manufactured in Laval.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Thursday that his government is investing $4 million in the project.

Novocol Pharma already prepares and packages mRNA vaccines against respiratory diseases for distribution in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada.

Moderna says contractor Novocol’s facilities in Cambridge will be used for the aseptic “fill-finish”, labeling and packaging of vaccines that will be manufactured at its under-construction plant in Laval, a suburb of Montreal.

The plant is expected to become operational “by the end of 2024,” subject to planning and regulatory approvals, Moderna said in a statement on Thursday.

Ford says the investment will create well-paying jobs and provide Ontarians with better access to vaccines, improving the province’s self-sufficiency.

Novocol says it is expanding with the help of Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy.

With this strategy, the federal government wants to rebuild the biomanufacturing sector, which had been abandoned over the years with the decline of the Canadian biopharmaceutical industry. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly highlighted Canada’s dependence on other countries for access to vaccines.