Federal funding to help Aboriginal-owned forestry companies

The Prince Albert Model Forest Association has received $1.1 million from the federal government to partner with FPInnovations to provide guidance to Northern Saskatchewan forestry companies, particularly First Nations- and Métis-owned companies, to improve management and business practices, revise their product lines and increase marketing activities to be ready to enter new international export markets. Northern Saskatchewan’s forestry companies will also receive customized technical support to produce higher-value products that will result in increased domestic and international sales. FPInnovations will also provide support to companies to professionally market their products at international tradeshows. Forestry is Northern Saskatchewan’s second largest economic driver with First Nations and Métis people comprising more than 15 per cent of the workforce—the largest percentage of Aboriginal forestry employees in Canada.