January 30, 2019 Dawson Creek, British Columbia Natural Resources Canada
Innovation in the forest industry has the power to advance the development of Canada's renewable resource economy and create good jobs while combating climate change.
Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today announced an investment of $4.5-million towards the $161-million project for Louisiana-Pacific's Dawson Creek sawmill, which will boost the aging facility's economic competitiveness and support local forest sector jobs.
The funding, which is provided through Natural Resources Canada's Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program, will support everything from engineering and design work to procurement, construction and start-up of Louisiana-Pacific's mill conversion.
Upon completion, the upgraded facility will:
- produce 300 million square feet of SmartSide® Lap Siding, an engineered wood siding product that can be used for a range of exterior building applications,;
- create a new revenue stream from underutilized biomass; and
- sustain 69 direct and 200 indirect jobs.
The company's adoption of new technology at the facility will also deliver economic benefits to the surrounding region by improving the mill's competitiveness, enhancing productive capacity and diversifying its product base.
Louisiana-Pacific received the funding as part of the Government's commitment to advancing innovative technology in Canada's forest industry.
On June 1, 2017, the IFIT program received $55 million over three years as part of the Government of Canada's $867-million Softwood Lumber Action Plan to support workers and forest-dependent communities that have been affected by U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber. This new funding enabled innovative transformative technology adoption for the sector.
"Our government is proud to support forest innovation, which is helping combat the effects of climate change, opening new markets for Canadian forest companies and sustaining good jobs for Canadians. I congratulate Louisiana-Pacific for leading the way in forest sustainability and providing eco-friendly development solutions in Canada."
Paul Lefebvre
Parliamentary Secretary, Natural Resources Canada
"As a leader in building solutions, LP is committed to meeting the growing demands of our siding business. Our Dawson Creek manufacturing operations and its more than 200 local employees play a significant role in driving growth in our specialty markets by producing high-performance products. We're grateful for the Government of Canada's support of our expansion and new jobs, as well as the Government's continued support of our long-time outstanding employees in Dawson Creek."
Jimmy Mason
Vice President, Manufacturing Operations
Louisiana-Pacific
