Canadian Wood Council applauds wood construction funding in Quebec

OTTAWA — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is applauding a joint investment of over $8.5 million by Natural Resources Canada and Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests that will go towards four wood construction-related projects across the province.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $4.7 million, while the Government of Quebec is contributing $3.83 million.

The money will be dispersed among the following projects:

• $1 million for Les Chantiers Chibougamau Ltée from Natural Resources Canada’s Green Construction through Wood program and $1.33 million from the Programme d’innovation en construction bois of Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. The project will develop a four-storey, 20-unit residential mass timber building using prefabrication and modular construction techniques.
• An additional $2 million for Les Chantiers Chibougamau Ltée from NRCan’s Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program and $2.5 million from the Programme Innovation Bois of Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. This project is meant to modernize production processes of finger-jointed lumber, glue-laminated, I-joists and cross-laminated timber through the innovative use of artificial intelligence.
• $500,000 for Samcon Stanley Properties from NRCan’s Green Construction through Wood program that will go towards developing the design for a 21-storey multi-unit residential building built from mass timber.
• $1.2 million for the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi from NRCan’s Green Construction through Wood program. This project will build a two-storey low-rise community building with wood building technology and ensure the building’s shape and design preserve the historical culture of the Cree First Nation.

“By supporting advanced wood construction methods — including modular mass timber housing, artificial intelligence to modernize engineered wood manufacturing, and the design of tall wood residential buildings — this investment reinforces the essential role of wood in delivering high-performance, low-carbon construction solutions,” states the CWC.