THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO - Global Sticks, Inc., the Thunderbay, Ontario manufacturer of single use disposable wood sticks for a variety of users - from frozen confections, to paint and crafts - will be auctioned next month.

Global Sticks gained notoriety, and government support, as it attempted to insource production from China to North America. A new manufacturing plant was built in Thunder Bay, with 130 new jobsto be generated to help diversify the local wood market.

With assistance from the province Ontario, Global Sticks was to move sourcing of the variety of wooden sticks used for ice cream bars, corn dogs, tongue depressors for doctors and nurses, and paint paddles, to Ontario, which invested $1.32 million. In 2010, Global Sticks planned to create over 8 billion ice cream sticks.

In 2009, Ontario provided Global Sticks with a $787,000 grant through the Forest Sector Prosperity Fund and another $2.9 million through the Forest Sector Loan Guarantee Program.

Now equipment at its highly automated, multi-million dollar manufacturing operations will be sold piecemeal following an unsuccessful attempt by its trustee, Grant Thornton, to sell the ongong business.

Placed in receivership in July 2012, Global Sticks, Inc. listed C$15 million in liabilities and just C$1.3 million in assets. Efforts to obtain proposals for the business on either a commission or net minimum guarantee basis also failed.