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The Alberta government will contribute $10 million toward new digs for a family of giant pandas heading to the Calgary Zoo in 2018 in an effort to boost the economy by drawing more visitors and creating new jobs.

“Growth of the Calgary Zoo is ultimately growth of our province’s tourism sector and investment in the expansion of this facility is an investment in the diversification of our economy,” Ricardo Miranda, minister of tourism and culture, told reporters gathered at the zoo for Thursday’s announcement.

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“This $10-million investment from the Alberta Jobs Plan will make panda-mania possible,” he said. “This plan is focused on the creation of new jobs and new opportunities for all Albertans, that is building an economy that is strong enough, resilient enough to face global challenges.”

Da Mao and Er Shun, two giant pandas on loan from China, and their twin cubs, Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue, born at the Toronto Zoo in October 2015, will move into a renovated exhibit on the west side of St. George’s Island, which once housed the zoo’s elephants and is currently home to the zoo’s one-horned rhino and its Komodo dragons.