Value-added wood projects get cash head-start

A First Nations value-added wood project involving three northwestern Ontario communities received a $1.5 million cash injection from Queen's Park.
The Two Feathers Forest Products Limited Partnership, based in Dryden, received $1 million to buy equipment to develop a wood manufacturing project in Red Lake and on the Eagle Lake First Nation.
The Whitefeather Forest Management Corp., based in the remote community of Pikangikum First Nation, received $524,600 to complete required planning to secure a commercial forestry tenue for the Whitefeather Forest.
Officials associated with the project were not available for comment.
Many years in the making, the whole Whitefeather Forest Initiative covers a huge range of land use projects in commercial forestry, non-timber forest products, tourism, mineral development and, land stewardship and conservation.
The entire value-added project is a partnership involving the First Nation communities of Wabigoon First Nation, Eagle Lake First Nation, Pikangikum and a Finnish company, Wood Tech Group, the latter is supplying technical know-how and private investment.
Among the projects to be produced will be specialty building components and high quality pre-manufacturing timber for export.
A Red Lake operation will involve a sawmilling operation, kiln drying and a biomass-fuelled power plant supplying 9.9 megawatts to the provincial grid.
At Eagle Lake, west of Dryden, a site will host an operation for wood processing, finishing and building component assembly.
The project may also be eligible for a new $1 billion national Community Adjustment Fund announced in the January federal budget speech. It's designed to help hard-hit resource communities transition into new economies.
The project's history goes back to the early 1990's and lead to a business development partnership five years ago to pursue value-added manufacturing opportunities. The communities later brought in the Wood Tech Group from Finland with aims on shipping to high value export markets.
www.whitefeatherforest.com