QUEBEC — On March 20, multiple Canadian government officials announced a joint contribution for four projects that will promote green construction in Quebec, including the use of low-carbon Canadian wood to accelerate new building projects. The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec are investing a combined contribution of $8.5 million for these sustainable projects.

The funding includes:

• $1 million for Les Chantiers Chibougamau Ltée from Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program and $1.33 million from the Program d’innovation en construction bois of Quebec's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. 
   
• An additional $2 million for Les Chantiers Chibougamau Ltée from NRCan’s Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program and $2.5 million from the Program Innovation Bois of Quebec's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. This project will modernize production processes of finger-jointed lumber, glue-laminated, I-joists, and cross-laminated timber through the innovative use of artificial intelligence.
   
• $500,000 for Samcon Stanley Properties from NRCan’s Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program. This project aims to develop the design for a 21-story multi-unit residential building built from mass timber.
   

• $1.2 million for the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi from NRCan’s Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program. This project will build a two-story, low-rise community building with wood building technology.

  "The fight against climate change and the critical contribution of wood materials to this chapter require new ways of doing things," says Frédéric Verreault, vice president of corporate affairs, Les Chantiers Chibougamau Ltée. "The same is true of the economic context that drives the increased processing of softwood lumber beyond the norm, both in construction systems and factories, results in financial pressure and risk taking for us. This is why the government's support is essential in motivating us to invest now, and the outcomes are convincing."

Through these investments, the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec are further accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge residential construction technologies to drive down costs and help the industry access the made-in-Canada products it needs to build more homes for Canadians.