The federal government is investing more than $3.5 million in 10 projects to boost forestry and economic resilience in the North.
Funds announced Sept. 8 flow through a number of funding programs, including Northern Ontario Development Program (NODP), Regional Economic Growth through Innovation initiative (REGI), and the Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative for Northern Ontario (RHII).
Of the funds, the biggest chunk — a non-repayable FedNor investment of $1,701,000 — goes to the Centre for Research & Innovation in the Bio-economy (CRIBE) in Thunder Bay, which will be used in multiple projects.
CRIBE will develop, support and scale up regional innovation clusters and investment hubs in Northern Ontario, and build up and market the forest bioeconomy industry to build biorefinement capacity in the northwest.
The organization will create opportunities for networking, resource-sharing and commercialization opportunities for companies in the forestry sector, with the aim of commercializing new products and services.
In addition, Nextfor, CRIBE’s innovator network, will expand to help grow ForestEDGE, an economic development tool that maps available wood supply and community attributes
“We are proud to play a role in the ongoing development of new products and technologies that promote the growth of the forest sector and the North,” said Scott Jackson, CRIBE’s CEO, in a government news release.
“Thanks to support from FedNor and the Government of Canada, CRIBE will continue to help develop a sustainable and innovative forest bio-economy that works for businesses, organizations, and the communities they call home. We are excited to continue helping to create new jobs and prosperity that benefit everyone.”
Other recipients of the funding include:
- Township of Schreiber – $79,200: to develop a five-year strategic plan and community profile;
- Township of Nipigon – $72,000: to develop a five-year plan and updated community profile;
- Township of Terrace Bay – $71,910: to develop a five-year plan;
- Keepers of the Circle – $922,649: to help construct an Indigenous, women-led modular home construction facility;
- Town of Espanola – $379,200: of the funds, $300,000 will be used to hire an economic development officer for three years, while $79,200 will enable the town to create an economic diversification strategy plan;
- Northern Truss – $198,037: to update and upgrade equipment, infrastructure, and manufacturing processes;
- Muskoka Timber Mills Ltd. – $93,750: to purchase and install innovative equipment such as a knot-filling machine, paint spray booth and automated packaging lines; and
- Wahkohtowin Development GP Inc. – $57,500: to hire a youth intern for 18 months.
The funding was announced alongside a suite of new measures under the Build Canada Strong initiative the federal government said would help businesses affected by tariffs and trade disruptions.
Highlights include:
- a reskilling package to train workers;
- a regional tariff response initiative;
- workforce alliances and Sectoral Workforce Investment Fund;
- Employment Insurance temporary measures; and
- modernizing the Job Bank and launching a new online training platform.
A full list of measures is available here.
