McGuinty Government Putting Ontario Wood to Work, Creating Good Jobs
by Scott A. Sumner
www.thunderbaybusiness.ca
A First Nation community north of Thunder Bay has accepted a wood supply offer from the Province to build a new forest products facility, creating up to 42 new jobs and helping the local economy.
Whitesand First Nation near Armstrong will use the wood to build a sawmill, a three-megawatt co-generation facility and a plant to manufacture clean-burning wood pellets for energy production. The facility is expected to be completed in March 2013.
The wood supply competition is aimed at putting Ontario's unused wood to work while the Province takes steps to introduce a new forest tenure and pricing system.
“ Our government wants to put Ontario’s wood back to work. We launched a Competitive Wood Supply competition to get the wood back to work and have received 115 submissions to use more than 5 times the available wood supply. We have worked with an independent fairness commission.” said Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. “ The White Sand First Nation has been awarded 149,000 cubic metes of crown wood fibre and will create 42 new jobs in the plant and 25 in harvesting and roads. We all want to see the wood supply benefits maximized. Many of the new entrants have been First Nations communities
whom are seeing opportunities in new ventures. The wood supply is great step in the right direction and an element that needs to be in place. Our ministry is looking forward to working with the organization to get the project to fruition.”
“ Our goal was to support existing operations but also to open up new opportunities. It is a transparent process in awarding the wood supply. We are getting closer to the end of the process. This is our 22nd announcement. It has been an interesting and challenging process.” said Gravelle.
“ This all started in 1992 by our former Chief. We are at the beginning that will create meaningful employment and allow us to get off diesel energy. It will mean 63 full time jobs using a pellet plant, co gen and a small value added sawmill. It is a great day and we are
happy.” said Chief Alan Gustafson. White Sand First Nation.
“ This is a special moment for us. It is something we have always had an ambition for in maximizing the use of our forest. We want to participate in actively managing our forest in an environmentally friendly way,” said Clifford Tibishkogijig of White Sand First Nation. “ We have already secured a potential investor. They will do their risk assessment based on today’s announcement and we will proceed in the financing aspect. We are still open to other financing options. We have applied to a number of funding sources as well. Whitesand will also make it’s own investment l. It is a project of $20 to $25 million.”
