Boreal probes north's value-added potential.The towns of Hearst and Kapuskasing are drawing up economic development road maps to attract new investment and diversify their forestry-dependent economies. Creating knowledge clusters is the aim behind a federally funded community development research project being shepherded in northeastern Ontario by College Boreal bo·re·al adj. 1. Of or relating to the north; northern. 2. Of or concerning the north wind. 3. Boreal . The Sudbury-based post-secondary institution is helping develop action plans in each town to examine the value-added wood potential in Hearst and biotechnology opportunities in Kapuskasing. Bernard Lafreniere, a commercial affairs consultant with the college's STICO STICO Strategy and Tactics for Initial Company Operations centre, says the pilot project, sponsored by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) [1] is the national, voluntary membership organization created in 1972 to represent colleges and institutes to government, business and industry, both in Canada and internationally. , is a means to develop "capacity-building" in communities where the college operates. Boreal has satellite campuses in both Hearst and Kapuskasing. The idea is to help the region take full advantage of the wood-based value chain by making a transition from a commodity-based forest industry to a value-added one. The national project is being funded by the Rural Secretariat of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada The Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, also referred to as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) (French: Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada), is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies governing agriculture . A similar project is underway at the College of the Rockies The College of the Rockies is a Canadian public community college, located in the southeast corner of British Columbia, Canada. The main campus is in Cranbrook, with regional campuses in Creston, Fernie, Golden, Invermere, and Kimberley. . It aims to develop a knowledge cluster model to diversify the East Kootenay. B.C. region in developing that area's tourism industry. Another at Nova Scotia Community College Originally Nova Scotia's post-secondary specialized training and vocational institutes operated independently, however in 1988 the Nova Scotia Community College was created by an act of the provincial legislature as a means to centralize administration, coordinate funding and remove will delve into geomatics Geomatics is the discipline of gathering, storing, processing, and delivering of geographic information, or spatially referenced information. Overview The term "Geomatics" refers to:
Boreal is acting as facilitator for the community-run projects by pulling together a round table of representatives from local business, economic development, various funding agencies, research and development groups and other stakeholders into site committees. "The idea is to bring this wealth of knowledge together and transfer it to the community and transfer it to investors so they can take action on opportunities identified by research and development agencies," says Lafreniere. Hearst has already had some initial success with a fledgling start-up company start-up company A new business. launched in September. Earlier this year, Industries LacWood Inc. struck a deal with international furniture-maker Ikea to manufacture bed frames and shelving components. They are building a 15,000-square-foot mill in nearby Hallebourg. The plant uses softwood feed stock from lower grade wood and short lengths of spruce lumber from area saw mills. Hearst's strategy is to create a value-added wood product manufacturing cluster. "We all know communities are suffering because of the softwood lumber crisis," says Lafreniere. "These communities have been looking at different options in terms of diversifying their economies to move away from primary forestry sector." In Kapuskasing, a Quebec-based biotechnology company, Cyclofor, has been recruited for a project using forest biomass for co-generation. For College Boreal, Lafreniere says the project is an opportunity to forge new partnerships with business and develop some ideas for programming. "As the site committees determine opportunities for new business, the college will adapt or develop to ensure the local workforce is capable of responding to business needs that evolve as the project moves along." www.borealc.on.ca By IAN ROSS Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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