Federal Government spends $500,000 to promote Atlantic Canadian wood

The Government of Canada is spending $500,000 over two years to encourage the use of Atlantic Canadian wood in regional construction projects.

The money will go towards Atlantic WoodWORKS!, an initiative led by the non-profit Maritime Lumber Bureau.

Atlantic WoodWORKS! is an expansion of the Canadian Wood Council’s successful WoodWORKS! program into the Atlantic region. Its objective is to encourage the expanded use and consumption of made-in-Atlantic Canada solid wood products in commercial and municipal construction projects.

The governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador are also contributing $134,096, combined, to the program. The Canadian Wood Council is investing $159,317.

Various promotional activities will be carried out under the program, including technical support and seminars, the development of a newsletter and website, among other activities. The goal is to demonstrate to project decision-makers that wood, as a building material, is a renewable and responsible choice that meets their environmental objectives by lowering a project’s carbon footprint.

Diana Blenkhorn, president and CEO of the Maritime Lumber Bureau, said the expansion of the national WoodWORKS! program to the Atlantic region will build upon the wood culture that has existed in this area for generations.

“Our communities already know that building with wood is the right choice to meet their environmental objectives,” Blenkhorn said. “Approaching our issues on a regional basis is an excellent opportunity to build upon past successes and secure the future of this important sector and economic contributor.”

The Maritime Lumber Bureau based in Amherst, N.S., is a federally incorporated non-profit association and an internationally accredited quality control, certification and licensing body.

Formed in 1938 the bureau has 73 years of experience in meeting the needs of the Atlantic region’s large and small primary and secondary producers of forest-based products. While membership is voluntary, the MLB provides services to more than 100 members located in the four Atlantic provinces, including sawmills, secondary producers, wholesalers/brokers and equipment suppliers.