July 9, 2015
Kenora, Ontario
Natural Resources Canada
The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, today hosted provincial and territorial forest ministers, as well as leaders from the forest industry and research institutions from across Canada, at the National Forest Innovation Summit. Participants affirmed the ongoing need for industry transformation and built consensus on next steps to increase jobs and growth in the forestry sector.
Over two days of discussions, participants acknowledged the efforts of the Canadian forest industry to unite through a challenging economic period, while emphasizing the need for action in pursuit of the next wave of transformation by forest sector stakeholders across governments, industry, academia and research organizations.
With the release of the Kenora Declaration on Forest Innovation, organizations committed to advancing the commercialization of new products and technologies in the forest sector, ensuring that the industry continues to generate jobs and prosperity for Canadians. The Declaration underscores the importance of collaborating to enhance market-driven investment and mobilizing the best talent and technologies from the forest sector.
Minister Rickford also announced the release of the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation Performance Report (2010–2014). The Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program has played a pivotal role in supporting technology transformation in the Canadian forest industry, helping it become more economically competitive and environmentally sustainable. The $100-million IFIT program leveraged additional investments of $260 million from public and private sector partners to advance forest sector innovation.
Greg Rickford
Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
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