ONTARIO - The Ontario government will invest nearly $2 million to help modernize White River Forest Products, a sawmill in Northwestern Ontario. The $1.9 million should allow the mill to increase its production by 30 percent, support new product development, and add 15 new employees.
"We are pleased to see the government recognizing the value of supporting job creation in green industries like forestry," Frank Dottori, president & CEO White River Forest Products, said in a news release.
“Creating jobs and growing the local economy is the precise purpose of the Jobs and Prosperity Fund – I am happy to see the investment we are making in northwestern Ontario, and the support this will provide to families in Ontario," Steven Del Duca, Minister of Economic Development and Growth, said in the release.
White River produces lumber products sourced from forests in the local and surrounding region. The company’s objective is to produce approximately 150 million board feet of FSC-certified random-length, stud and value-added products.
The mill underwent a major multi-million dollar re-investment and modernization program to replace its two previous saw lines with a state-of-the-art high-tech sawline. The new line began operation in the fall of 2015 and is currently operating at a 50 percent higher production rate than the two decommissioned lines combined, says White River.
An additional $10 million in capital expenditures are currently underway to make the mill one of the lowest cost mills in Eastern Canada with a production of more than 160 million BFM per year. The mill site currently employs 150 individuals on site, with another 250 indirectly employed via contractors, suppliers and support services.
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