Canada Invests in Sustainable Wood Construction in Ontario, Creating 319 New Residential Units

TORONTO, March 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, along with Parliamentary Secretary Julie Dabrusin, announced a federal contribution of more than $5.9 million for four green construction and green technology projects across Ontario, which will support the use of low-carbon and processed wood in the Canadian construction sector. This funding is helping to protect Canadian industry and to build more housing for Canadians.

The funding announced today includes:

Construction site for a multi-unit building in wood Photo credit: Sean Martin (CNW Group/Natural Resources Canada)

• More than $900,000 to Assembly Corp. for the development of an innovative design and seismic system for a 62-unit, all-wood building in Toronto. This eight-storey residential and mixed-use rental building will serve as a building typology to be repeated across over a half dozen other sites, promoting sustainable construction practices that reduce the environmental impact of the building industry.
• $1 million to Sean Mason Homes to deploy an innovative, hybrid, mass timber and steel system for the five-storey, 38-unit Rainwater Condominium project. This project aims to demonstrate a cost-efficient, sustainable and replicable building solution for mid-rise and taller residential buildings while addressing Ontario's housing needs. It will also provide the initial example and model in a series of future projects in Barrie.
• $1 million to Post Office Limited Partnership to deploy an innovative, wood-based and sustainable building solution to reconstruct and add nine storeys to a two-storey heritage post office in Oshawa. The project will stimulate demand for Canadian wood products and provide 219 high-quality rental units in a growing community.
• More than $3 million to Timmerman Timberworks to develop, study and certify next-generation mass timber building products. This project will develop the first fully automatic, precision-engineered, nail-laminated timber production line, leading to new, advanced, high-value building products.

Funding for these projects is being provided through Natural Resources Canada's Green Construction through Wood and Investments in Forest Industry Transformation programs. 

With this funding, the Government of Canada is helping to accelerate the adoption of the most cutting-edge technologies available to drive down costs and help the construction industry access the ecological Canadian wood products it needs to build more homes for Canadians.

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Quotes

"Developing new markets for Canadian timber not only supports forestry workers and creates jobs but also helps us achieve other goals, including more housing and lower emissions. By promoting the use of low-carbon Canadian wood in construction, the Government of Canada is strengthening communities and local economies in Ontario — without cutting corners on the environment."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"I am pleased to announce support for the Green Construction through Wood and Investments in Forest Industry Transformation programs to accelerate energy-efficient construction in Ontario. The imperative of climate action presents a huge opportunity for enhancing community resilience, driving economic inclusion and spurring job creation in every single part of our country. The Government of Canada is helping communities advance to a sustainable future while creating good-paying jobs for skilled workers in the building trades."

Julie Dabrusin
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"Thanks to NRCAN's support, we are able to create an eight-storey panelized wood building product that is sustainable and efficient. This product typology is a repeatable solution that can be applicable to many purpose-built rental sites, and the prefabricated construction method drastically shortens timelines, addressing Canada's urgent need for housing."

Geoff Cape
Chief Executive Officer, Assembly Corp.

"The building is the first of its kind in the entire world to use cross-laminated timber, cold-formed steel walls and geothermal powered. It's fantastic. Other than that, I believe that when you have the ability to do a better job, you have that responsibility to do a better job, and hence that is why sean.ca pushes forward to be an innovative, responsible and sustainable builder and developer."

Sean Mason
Founder Sean Mason Homes

"On behalf of our whole team, we'd like to thank the federal government for supporting this project. This project has allowed us to provide an alternative solution for mass timber construction while also supporting our rural community with increased job opportunities. We are grateful for the opportunity and look forward to increasing SilvaSpan's presence in the industry."

Tammy Vanderstarren
Operations manager, Timmerman Timberworks Inc. and SilvaSpan

Quick Facts

• The Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program encourages the use of innovative wood-based building technologies in construction projects. It supports Canada's commitment to reach 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement and advance long-term priorities regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. GCWood has invested in 19 projects in the province of Ontario and is generating many benefits there, including:

• • reduced GHG emissions from renewable and sustainable resources that help decarbonize the built environment;
  • accelerated adoption of innovative building technologies and systems;
  • updated building codes that allow for taller and larger wood buildings; and
  • affordable housing and community infrastructure.

• The Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) aims to bridge the gap between the development and commercialization of innovative, low-carbon and higher-value forest products. IFIT has invested in 15 projects in Ontario, including projects that contribute to:

• • the decarbonization of industrial processes;
  • the efficient use of resources that generates more value from the same amount of wood; and
  • the integration of technologies leading to greater energy efficiency.

Associated Links

• The Canada Green Buildings Strategy: Transforming Canada's buildings sector for a net-zero and resilient future
• Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada's Housing Plan
• Green Construction through Wood Program
• Investments in Forest Industry Transformation
• Forest Innovation Program
• Sustainable Jobs Plan
• 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy
• Assembly Corp
• Sean Mason Homes
• Timmerman Timberworks

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Contacts: Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6096, [email protected]; Joanna Sivasankaran, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, [email protected]; Francesca MacKinnon, Director Of Sales and Marketing, Assembly Corp, 514-265-2546, [email protected]; Tammy Vanderstarren, Operations Manager, Timmerman Timberworks, 705-300-0486, [email protected]