The Ontario government is providing more than $7.9 million to help support forestry and mining sectors in northeastern Ontario. This investment will promote economic development and create or retain 112 jobs in the Sudbury and Algoma regions.
“Our government is proud to invest in the forestry and mining industries in northeastern Ontario to enhance business operations, drive productivity and boost competitiveness in key sectors,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry. “The investments will propel northern Ontario’s economy forward by creating and preserving good jobs for hardworking northerners across our vast region.”
Funding is being delivered through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) and includes:
- $2,650,000 to Black Bird Management Limited in Batchawana Bay to help build a new harvesting and processing facility for maple products. The project will create the largest producer of maple syrup in the province.
- $1,000,000 to McDowell Brothers Industries in Sudbury to help build a new equipment manufacturing and parts fabrication facility.
- $500,000 to Ionic Mechatronics in Lively for a building expansion, the purchase of equipment and prototype and technical labour costs, and to enable the company to commercialize an energy isolation system that caters to the needs of mining, steel and other large-scale industries.
- $500,000 to Symboticware in Sudbury to help develop, demonstrate and market its innovative data management and analysis technology for the mining sector.
- $400,000 to B&R Rubber Services in Val Caron to purchase a new facility to increase its production capability of rubber products.
- $400,000 to T. Bell Transport Inc.—a hauling company in Nairn and Hyman for wood products, mining and construction industries—to purchase forestry equipment and a fiber connection for its office.
- $400,000 to Salto Heat Treating in Sudbury to establish a new division and facility that offers heat treating of metal-fabricated products.
- $400,000 to Stevens Sustainable Forestry in Hilton Beach to increase fleet delivery trucks from one to three.
- $371,694 to Carlyle Forest Products Inc. in Sudbury to help purchase new equipment and expand operations to meet demand for forest materials.
- $304,870 to HLS Hard-Line Solutions Inc. in Sudbury to help develop artificial intelligence software and related hardware to automate a rock breaker.
- $298,513 to Sudbury Lime Limited in Wahnapitae to help build a second plant to produce hydrated lime and related products used in various applications by the mining, water and wastewater treatment and construction industries.
- $250,000 to HLS Hard-Line Solutions Inc. in Dowling to fully automate rock breaking with machine learning and automation. The project will increase productivity and efficacy in mines and civil projects.
- $185,185 to Lessard Welding—a steel products manufacturer in Chelmsford—to purchase new equipment that will increase production capacity, reduce lead time and improve working conditions.
- $179,924 to City Welding Sudbury Limited—an advanced manufacturer of high-end metal fabrications—to purchase new equipment.
- $81,113 to Roger Nantel Trucking in Dubreuilville to help purchase equipment for log loading, truck and trailer log hauling and road maintenance.
- $47,480 to Gordon Enders Contracting Ltd. in White River to help purchase new forestry equipment.
The NOHFC promotes economic prosperity across northern Ontario by providing financial assistance to projects—big and small, rural and urban—that stimulate recovery, growth, job creation and skills development. Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested more than $318 million in 3,134 projects in northern Ontario, leveraging more than $1.3 billion in investment and creating or sustaining over 4,850 jobs.
Quick Facts
- On February 11, 2021, the Ontario government launched new and improved NOHFC programs that support more projects in rural northern communities and make it easier for more people and businesses to apply. The programs provide more work opportunities for Indigenous people and address the skilled labour shortage in the north.
Quotes
“It’s a pleasure to welcome back Minister Rickford to Sudbury for this significant announcement at Symboticware’s headquarters. We are grateful for this funding for Northern Ontario forestry and mining suppliers. For Symboticware, the Ontario government’s financial support was timely and beneficial for the demonstration and commercialization of our industrial monitoring system, which supports remote drill equipment operators with real-time feedback and analysis on exploration drilling performance. We thank NOHFC, Minister Rickford and the Ontario government for their support and commitment to Symboticware and to our industry. ”
– Kirk Petroski
Founder and Executive Chairman, Symboticware
“Having this support from the Ontario government has really meant a lot for the commercialization and launch of our auto rockbreaker project. This breakthrough innovation will help automate the rockbreaking process at mines all over the world and we are thrilled to be at the forefront of this technology. ”
– Ryan Siggelkow
Senior Vice President of Technology, HLS Hard-Line Solutions Inc.
SOURCE: Province of Ontario
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