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The federal government said it will find the money to help a Quebec observatory under threat of imminent closure due to a cash crunch.

Quebec’s renowned Mont-Mégantic Observatory will get the $500,000 it was seeking, Jake Enright, a spokesman for Industry Minister James Moore, said late Wednesday.

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The facility, one of Canada’s most important astronomical research centres, risked closing its doors at the end of March due to a lack of funding, director Rene Doyon said.

Contacted late Wednesday, director Rene Doyon said the last-minute federal funding will allow the observatory to maintain its operations for another two years.

“Of course the problem remains the same: how can we fund the observatory in the long run — that’s the main issue,” he told The Canadian Press.

Doyon stressed that Mont-Mégantic is an important training centre for students.

“There is no other place in Canada where you can have students having a hands-on experience with a modern telescope and modern equipment,” he said.