Canada Invests in Clean Innovation in the Forest Sector

Thunder Bay, Ontario - Natural Resources Canada - When we invest in Canadian ideas, our economy grows and our communities flourish. That’s why the Government of Canada is investing in the development of innovative new products from Canada’s forest sector.

 

Don Rusnak, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay–Rainy River, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, today announced $2 million for FPInnovations at the official opening of its world-class, thermo–mechanical-pulp biorefinery (TMP-Bio) plant in Thunder Bay. This investment builds on the $5.8 million previously provided by Canada for the pilot facility to accelerate the development, production and commercialization of green biochemicals derived from sustainably sourced Canadian wood.

 

The additional funding, provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Growth Program, will support the development of the process by which FPInnovations converts wood sugars to biomaterials, which will help create a viable wood-to-chemicals industry that can help diversify the forest-based economy in rural communities. 

 

The global shift toward a cleaner, greener economy is the opportunity of a lifetime. From May 27 to 29, 2019, Canada will welcome over 25 countries to this year’s Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation Ministerial to discuss a future that is cleaner, brighter and more prosperous for generations to come. Canada will showcase its leadership in cleantech innovation, champion the issue of gender equality, youth and Indigenous peoples in clean energy and promote Canada as an investment destination. 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.