Industry News News
National Forest Innovation Summit coming to Kenora

July 3, 2015 - Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor), will host a National Forest Innovation Summit in Kenora, Ontario, on July 8-9, 2015. 

The Summit will bring together provincial and territorial forest ministers, industry leaders, academic and research institutions and Aboriginal community leaders to support the transformation of the forest sector while creating and protecting jobs.

Participants will take stock of progress made to date and discuss emerging opportunities for advancing new products and technologies to increase the competitiveness of Canada's forest industry and create jobs for Canadians. During the Summit, participants will engage in plenary sessions and roundtable discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities related to the ongoing transformation of the forest sector. Minister Rickford will also deliver keynote remarks on July 9.

The Summit will conclude with an interactive fair that will showcase cutting-edge forest products, featuring live demonstrations of new technologies.

Following the Summit, Minister Rickford will travel to Thunder Bay for the annual Canadian Council of Forest Ministers meeting on July 10 hosted by the Province of Ontario. The meeting will provide a forum for discussion of key forest sector topics including innovation, environmental reputation and Aboriginal participation in the forest industry.

“Our government is proud to support the transformation of Canada's forest industry to become more economically competitive and sustainable,” Rickford said. “By helping Canadian companies to lead the world in developing and commercializing new high-value products and technologies, we are supporting jobs and opportunities for Canadians. I look forward to welcoming key partners from across Canada to Kenora next week so that together we can chart a course for the next phase of economic growth in Canada's forest industry."

July 3, 2015  By NRCan