Canada Announces Forest Sector Investments in Alberta and Manitoba

On Friday, Canada announced more than CA$4.4 million in federal funding for 10 projects aimed at strengthening the forest sector in Alberta and Manitoba. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Corey Hogan made the announcement on behalf of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

The projects are intended to advance manufacturing and processing, diversify Canada’s forest products and export markets, and support First Nation and Métis groups and forestry businesses operating in the two provinces.

Among the projects funded, Western Archrib Enterprises is receiving $2.3 million through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program to commission a 160,000-square-foot mass timber plant in Sturgeon County, Alberta. The facility represents a total capital investment of over $80 million and will transform Western Archrib’s operations from manual processing to a fully automated manufacturing line, increasing production capacity from 12 million to 30–35 million board feet annually.

NRCan is accepting applications under national calls for proposals for several renewed forest sector transformation programs, including IFIT, the Green Construction through Wood program, the Indigenous Forestry Initiative, and the Global Forest Leadership Program.

Backed by a CA$500 million federal commitment, these programs aim to help Canadian companies innovate and diversify, expand the use of Canadian wood in construction, support Indigenous participation in the forest sector, and develop new domestic and international markets. The programs also align with Canada’s broader “Buy Canadian” policy and the Build Canada Homes initiative, which prioritize Canadian wood and technologies in infrastructure and housing.