Mont-Laurier, April 15, 2019 - Investments in the forestry sector spur innovation, economic growth and job creation for our citizens. That is why the governments of Canada and Quebec are providing financial assistance totalling $8.4 million to Uniboard Canada Inc. The company, which has five plants in Quebec, operates the province's only medium- and high-density fibreboard plant, located in Mont-Laurier.
The investment project, valued at more than $17 million, will enable the Mont-Laurier facilities to develop a system that will recover heat, currently dissipated into the atmosphere, and redirect it to the fibre drying system. This new process will significantly reduce the company's CO2 emissions and increase the plant's production capacity, thereby improving competitiveness with foreign manufacturers. About 100 jobs will also be saved as a result of the project.
For this project, Natural Resources Canada is allocating a non-repayable contribution of $4.9 million from the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) is providing a repayable contribution of $1 million, and the Ministère des Forêts de la Faune et des Parcs is granting $2.5 million through the Wood Innovation Program.
Highlights
- Uniboard Canada employs 861 people in its five Quebec mills located in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Laurentides regions, and in Laval.
- The Wood Innovation Program is one of the key measures in the 2018-2023 Development Strategy for Quebec's Forest Products Industry to meet the various challenges facing the forest products industry.
- The IFIT Program supports forest sector competitiveness by collaborating with forestry companies to eliminate the risks associated with new technologies, promote the deployment of new high-value products and optimize the use of underutilized wood fibre. It is a key factor for achieving the Forest Bioeconomy Framework for Canada.
- CED's funding was provided through the Quebec Economic Development Program.
