Opportunity knocks for First Nations value-added business: ready-to-assembly cottages for export will create manufacturing jobs.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: FORESTRY

Operating a First Nations-owned forestry company is likely going to eat into Terry Favelle's social life.

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But the president of Two Feathers Forest Products won't complain too much if it brings hope and delivers jobs to Aboriginal youth in this economically struggling part of northwestern Ontario.

"This gives me a great joy," said Favelle, also a councillor with Wabigoon Lake First Nation. "This is a celebration and I see it being a way to help our youth and give them the power to dream. It's a real life-time opportunity."

The value-added partnership project between three area First Nations and the Wood Tech Group, a Finnish forestry technology firm, will see green energy and lumber being used for assembling pre-manufactured 'chalet' cottages destined for Asian and European.

This spring, Favelle was hosting a series of open houses in school gymnasiums, community halls and a curling rink from Vermilion Bay to Balmertown to showcase the proposed two-site, two-factory project and to listen to any public concerns as part of the government's environmental assessment process.

It's one more regulatory milestone that edges a 15-year-old dream by First Nation leaders toward building a manufacturing base that will create 129 direct jobs mainly in Pikangikum and the Eagle Lake First Nations, as well as countless more in harvesting and trucking.

Assisting them is Wood Tech, a 30 per cent owner, which specializes in the design, manufacturing, training and developing turn-key value-added wood facilities. They have signed a 10-year management agreement to handle equipment installation, operations, marketing and to help train the locals.

"We're the only ones doing it in all of Canada," said Favelle. "The type of technology we're bringing to this, this is a benefit to northwestern Ontario and all of Canada.

"Through training we'll be creating a new type of education, curriculum, new certifications and how to do forest sustainably."

Logs from the Whitefeather Forest at Pikangikum will be shipped to a sawmilling and kiln drying plant in Red Lake. The site will have log sorting and wood chipper stations, along with a 9.9 megawatt biomass co-generation plant supplying power for the operation and the Ontario grid.

Sawn lumber will be trucked 200 kilometres south to Eagle Lake, near Dryden, where it will be made into building components for pre-fabricated cottages for export.

The Eagle Lake plant will contain wood planer, re-saw and assembly...