Ontario Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay says the crisis in the forstry sector can only be resolved by joining the paperless society and looking for new alternatives.
Ramsay says the industry is facing a ‘perfect storm’ of problems, and the answer is to embrace the electronic age.
On Tuesday, Abitibi-Consolidated blamed weak orders and high production costs for the closure of a paper mill in Thunder Bay which will result in 353 lost jobs.
Ramsay says at a time when there’s less demand for newsprint and other paper used by business, the industry needs to modernize and look at other options.
He says even the Province’s one billion dollar forest prosperity program isn’t enough to save the industry and innnovation is essential.
Ramsay says one promising product is a resin made partly from wood waste, which can be used in the auto industry.
