Government of Canada invests in strengthening the Prairies’ forest sector

On March 6, 2026, Corey Hogan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a federal investment of over $4.4 million for 10 projects that will strengthen the forest sector in Alberta and Manitoba. These projects will advance manufacturing and processing, diversify Canada’s forest products and their export markets and support Indigenous groups and forestry businesses.

Investment in Forest Industry Transformation

Project name: Western Archrib New Glulam/Mass Timber Manufacturing Plant
Recipient: Western Archrib Enterprises Ltd.
Location: Sturgeon County, Alberta
Funding amount: $2,311,494
Description: The proponent will commission a 160,000-square-foot mass timber plant in Sturgeon County, Alberta, representing a total capital investment of over $80 million. The facility will transform Western Archrib’s operations from manual processing into a fully automated manufacturing line, increasing production capacity from 12 million to 30–35 million board feet annually. This investment will strengthen the supply chain for advanced wood-based building material, such as mass timber panels, which directly support the construction industry and housing supply.

Indigenous Forestry Initiative 

Project name: Development Agreement, FML #1
Recipient: FML #1 Consortium Inc.
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Funding amount: $597,970
Description: This project will support a consortium of four First Nations — Black River First Nation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Hollow Water First Nation and Sagkeeng First Nation — in reactivating a Forest Development Agreement (Forest Management Licence #1) in Manitoba.

Project name: Capacity Support for a Seed Collection Network
Recipient: Manitoba Métis Federation
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Funding amount: $305,000
Description: This project strengthens the forestry leadership of the Manitoba Métis Federation, the National Government of the Red River Métis, by establishing a Red River Métis–led seed collection and exchange network in Manitoba and addressing biodiversity and food security. It will support forest regeneration while reinforcing Red River Métis stewardship of the land for present and future generations.

Project name: Paddle Prairie Carbon
Recipient: Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement
Location: Paddle Prairie, Alberta
Funding amount: $200,000
Description: This project will work with lands-holding Indigenous groups pursuing economic opportunities in the forest sector, including access to emerging markets and regulatory regimes for forest carbon.

Project name: NFMC Capacity Development
Recipient: Nisokapawino Forestry Management Corporation
Location: Opaskwayak, Manitoba
Funding amount: $51,750
Description: This project employed Indigenous youth to conduct preharvest surveys and forest renewal data collection and to train young people in the skills and work of forestry professionals.

Project name: Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation Twenty Year Forest Management Plan
Recipient: Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation
Location: Indian Birch, Manitoba
Funding amount: $50,500
Description: With funding from this project, the Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation completed a feasibility study and business plan and a Twenty-Year Forest Management Plan for its logging operation. This work included gathering knowledge from the community to map and protect areas of cultural significance in future forest operations planning.

Project name: Fostering Knowledge Among Region 5 Métis Citizens With Respect to Forest Stewardship and Planning
Recipient: MNA Zone 5 Economic Development Corporation
Location: Slave Lake, Alberta
Funding amount: $50,000
Description: Through engagement fostered between Region 5 Citizens of the Métis Nation of Alberta and industry, this project will explore and develop consensus on silvicultural best practices (i.e., harvesting methods, frequency and other activities that preserve forest ecological integrity and function) for forestry planning and operations within traditional territories.

Project name: Beaver Nation Timber Harvesting Naatsii Limited Partnership
Recipient: Beaver First Nation
Location: High Level, Alberta
Funding amount: $47,200
Description: Funds from this project were used to conduct a feasibility study and develop a business plan to determine what resources and training would be required for Beaver First Nation to harvest timber on its traditional territory.

Green Construction Through Wood

Project name: Canadian Wood Construction Research Network — Next Generation Wood Construction Project
Recipient: University of Alberta
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Funding amount: $450,000
Description: The project will co-ordinate and advance wood construction research across Canadian universities to facilitate the use of mass timber in building construction and generate the technical information necessary to support updates to building codes and standards.

Project name: Holistic Building Strategies for Low-Embodied Carbon
Recipient: Athabasca University
Location: Athabasca, Alberta
Funding amount: $393,150
Description: The project will advance wood education by creating accessible online educational modules focused on enhancing the understanding of embodied carbon, life-cycle assessment and the holistic benefits of incorporating forest-based biomaterials into sustainable construction. The created educational materials and toolkits will be made available online and accessible and tailored to rural and regional communities, operating within diverse governance and contexts.