MP Ed Fast Announces Investment in Forestry Innovation

ABBOTSFORD, BC, July 23, 2015 /CNW/ - The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Member of Parliament for Abbotsford, on behalf of Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today announced close to $900,000 through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program to Dynamic Windows and Doors to install an innovative manufacturing process to produce Passivhaus wood windows at its facility in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Passive houses are valued for their rigorous energy-efficiency standards, which require little energy for space heating and cooling.

Dynamic Windows and Doors will develop and be the first to market a made-in-Canada wood passive window system for homeowners seeking highly energy-efficient windows and doors. In addition to helping transition Canada's forest sector toward producing high-value manufactured products, the project will also create 60 direct new jobs that will help the local economy.

Support for this project comes from Natural Resources Canada's IFIT program and is designed to support the transformation of Canada's forest sector in becoming more economically competitive and environmentally sustainable. IFIT encourages a broader adoption of new technologies across the industry and supports forest industry innovation by opening the door to a more diversified portfolio of products and markets.

Quick Facts

• In 2013, the forest industry generated close to $21 billion to Canada's GDP, and was one of Canada's largest employers, providing over 200,000 direct jobs across the country.
• With 43 percent of the world's certified forests — 161 million hectares — Canada leads the world in forestland independently certified as sustainably managed.
• Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested $1.8 billion in the transformation of the forest industry.
• Economic Action Plan 2015 announced $86 million to continue to support the transformation of the forest sector by extending the Forest Innovation Program, which helps develop and advance new technologies, and the Expanding Market Opportunities Program, which helps develop new markets for Canadian wood products.

Quotes

"Today's announcement will further encourage economic competiveness in Canada's forest sector while helping to create jobs and prosperity for Canadians. In addition to adding well-paying jobs and supporting the local economy, this project is an important step in fostering the creation of high-value products manufactured here in Abbotsford and across Canada."

Ed Fast
Minister of International Trade & Member of Parliament for Abbotsford

"This investment is another example of how our government is helping Canada's forest industry bring innovative, high-value products to the marketplace, increasing Canada's global competitiveness and protecting jobs in the local community."

Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources

Related Products

Backgrounder: Passive House Window Project

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

For further information: Media may contact: Alexandra Lemieux, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, Ottawa, 613-996-2007; Media Relations, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, 613-992-4447; The general public may contact: Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EDT Telephone: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]