Government of Canada Takes Action to Support Innovation in British Columbia's Forest Sector, Sustain Middle-class Jobs for Canadians

PRINCE GEORGE, BC, Jan. 17, 2018 /CNW/ - Innovation in the forest sector will help to combat the effects of climate change, create new markets for Canadian forest companies and sustain good, middle-class jobs for Canadians.

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, today announced funding of $6.45 million for six projects in British Columbia to promote innovation and diversification in forestry and support collaboration with Indigenous communities.

The Minister made the announcement during the B.C. Natural Resources Forum. The funding delivers on the Investments in Canada's Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program and the Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative for Indigenous Economic Development.

The recipients are:

• Pacific Bioenergy Prince George Limited Partnership: $3.19 million in funding to implement a Biomass Enhancement System, which will allow for the use of diverse sources of biomass, including underutilized forest residuals, to produce high-quality wood pellets at its Prince George pellet processing facility.
• Structurecraft Builders Inc.: $1.93 million to implement a Dowel Laminated Timber production system at a newly constructed facility, which will house new machinery and associated storing and handling systems. This next-generation all-wood building product requires no nails or glue and will help fuel the rapidly growing demand for green construction.
• The Tsay Keh Dene CHP Biomass Energy project: $25,000 to assess the feasibility of bioenergy to reduce the reliance of the Tsay Key Dene community on diesel fuel for heat. The community is considering an Organic Rankin Cycle biomass plant as its technology of choice, as this technology is able to use a variety of fuels available to the community.
• Gitxsan Development: $1.165 million to implement a series of scans and activities to lay the foundation for the Gitxsan people to participate in and benefit from major resource projects occurring within, and near, their territory.
• The Kwadacha First Nation will receive a total of $143,000 for two projects: $98,000 to support a community combined heat and power bioenergy system. Using a sustainable supply of local forest biomass, this system will create employment, economic and social benefits, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. $45,000 to undertake a review and prepare a report of their experiences and lessons learned from a successful green-energy initiative in the community that uses local beetle-killed timber to fuel a bioenergy plant for the generation of electricity and heat.

Quotes

"Technology and innovation have placed our forest sector at the threshold of a new era. Adopting new ways of using renewable forest materials will help ensure that Canada's forest sector continues to play a key role in our economy and contributes to efforts to address climate change."

Jim Carr
Canada's Minister of Natural Resources

Associated Links

Backgrounder
IFIT Program http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/federal-programs/13139 
IFI Program http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/federal-programs/13125

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Alexandre Deslongchamps, Press secretary, 343-998-1533; Media Relations, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, 343-292-6100

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