Ontario Investing $6.2 Million to Protect Forest Sector Jobs in Northwestern Ontario

“Our government is proud to support world-class innovation in Ontario’s forest sector that helps the industry grow, create jobs and build prosperity in northern communities that depend on a strong forest sector,” said Kevin Holland, Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products.

“We’re taking bold, decisive action to protect good-paying jobs and economic growth in the face of US tariffs, including making targeted investments that ensure our forest sector is resilient for whatever else comes our way.”

Ontario’s investment is supporting eight projects related to the use of underused wood and mill by-products, known as forest biomass:

• The Centrer for Research and Innovation in the Bioeconomy, which is receiving $5,000,000 to accelerate forest sector growth by developing and commercializing innovative forest-based products, assisting with technology development and fostering cross-industry collaboration.
• Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, which is receiving $250,000 to support the development of a community heating system by funding a study of local biomass supply and purchasing equipment to convert forest biomass to fuel.
• Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper, which is receiving $87,750 to help support the facility’s modernization by funding two studies assessing current technology and designing upgrades to the boiler, fibre recovery and sludge processing systems.

These projects will help create good-paying local jobs while opening new markets for forest sector businesses. In addition, they will strengthen Northwestern Ontario’s economy by building strong regional markets for mill by-products which will create added demand for the harvesting, hauling and trucking industries, and develop new opportunities for Indigenous communities to participate in the growing forest industry.

"Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek (Sand Point First Nation) would like to thank Associate Minister Holland and the MNR’s Forest Biomass Program for their support for BNA’s District Heating Project. This initiative will utilize chipped wood slabs from our Sawmill operation to heat our homes and buildings through a central biomass system located in the community.

"With the critical support from our partners in government, important, innovative and sustainable projects like this can become a reality for First Nation communities across Ontario," said Chief Paul Gladu, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek.

Under the Forest Biomass Action Plan released in 2022, the government is developing the untapped potential of forest biomass to create new opportunities for forest sector growth, including investing over $45 million to-date under the Forest Biomass Program to support more than 55 projects.

Ontario’s Forest Biomass Program invests up to $20 million each year in projects to increase wood harvest, create forest sector opportunity and find new uses for wood in collaboration with stakeholders, industry and Indigenous communities.