Opening Up Wood Supply To Create Jobs

SooNews Staff for SooNews.ca
Thursday, November 26, 2009, 11:26AM

ORAZIETTI ANNOUNCES NEW PROVINCIAL PLAN TO STRENGHTEN ONTARIO’S FOREST INDUSTRY

McGuinty Government To Open Up Wood Supply To Spur Investment And Job Creation

Queen’s Park – The McGuinty government is opening up the province’s wood supply to businesses that propose innovative ways to use logs, branches and other wood in Crown forests for manufacturing or other commercial purposes David Orazietti, MPP announced today.

“I encourage local companies to participate in this new initiative that will help create green jobs and new investment in the forest industry,” said Orazietti. “This is part of our government’s continuing commitment to support forest workers and their families which has included over $17 million to reopen St. Mary’s Paper in Sault Ste. Marie.”

Proposals are currently being accepted for the use of approximately 11 million cubic metres of wood. The wood will come from 41 forest management units in Ontario — the majority being in Northern Ontario. Part of the wood supply in this competitive process will come from harvest residues - tree tops and irregular limbs – that can be used to support Ontario’s emerging bioeconomy sector, such as to produce wood pellets for energy.

This competitive process is open to anyone – including existing and new forest companies – interested in using Crown wood supply and investing in Ontario. An information session is scheduled for Sault Ste Marie on December 14, 2009 @ 9:00 a.m. at the Great Northern Hotel and Conference Centre.

“This government is putting Ontario’s wood to work to create jobs and generate wealth for Ontario when we need it the most,” said Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. “We are taking firm actions to ensure Ontarians get the maximum benefits from our forests.”

Proposals will be evaluated on a number of criteria, including fostering effective, cooperative relationships between industry and Aboriginal communities.

The McGuinty government’s $1.04 billion commitment to the forestry sector to update equipment and improve energy efficiencies is unique, in that, no other Ontario government or party has ever delivered this type of support.

QUICK FACTS

* Proposals must be submitted by March 4, 2010.
* This wood supply competitive process is the second stage of the ministry’s Staged Competition for Crown Wood Supply in Ontario. It includes about one third of the existing wood supply identified in Forest Management Plans.
* Forests cover almost 60 per cent of Ontario, and 90 per cent of forested lands are provincially owned and known as Crown lands.

LEARN MORE
* Read more about the Provincial Wood Supply Competitive Process.

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