Ottawa and Quebec announced financial assistance totalling $8.4 million to Uniboard Canada Inc. to enable the Mont-Laurier, Que. facilities to develop a system that will recover heat, currently dissipated into the atmosphere, and redirect it to the fibre drying system.
“Innovative companies like Uniboard help position Quebec and Canada as leaders in the forestry sector, while creating good jobs in the region and protecting our environment,” says David Graham, MP for Laurentides–Labelle. “That is why our government is proud to contribute to the project that was announced today. This investment demonstrates once again our determination to support innovation in the forest industry in Quebec and Canada, for the benefit of future generations.”
This new process will significantly reduce the company’s CO2 emissions and increase the plant’s production capacity, thereby improving competitiveness with foreign manufacturers. The investment project – valued at more than $17 million – is expected to save about 100 jobs.
“Uniboard Canada Inc.’s investments are fully consistent with the objectives of the 2018–2023 Development Strategy for the Quebec Forest Products Industry,” says Pierre Dufour, Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks and Minister responsible for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region and the Nord-du-Québec Region. “The main objective of the Strategy is to support companies whose projects are synonymous with innovation and creativity, two qualities that ensure the kind of competitiveness that travels beyond borders in many cases.”
The company, which has five plants in Quebec, operates the province’s only medium- and high-density fibreboard plant, located in Mont-Laurier.
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’sForest 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; and
- CED’s funding was provided through the Quebec Economic Development Program.
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