Government of Canada Supports Beginois Wood Products Inc. in its Productivity Enhancement Efforts

BÉGIN, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Feb. 28, 2012) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announces that the firm Béginois Wood Products Inc. has been awarded financial assistance to implement measures aimed at improving its productivity and competitiveness.

"The Government of Canada is committed to supporting enterprises that, like Béginois Wood Products, do everything they can to create the conditions conducive to their growth and, in so doing, are helping to build a stronger regional economy," said Minister Lebel.

Founded in 2005, Béginois Wood Products Inc. offers door, window and door frame manufacturers high-end custom jointed wood components, with or without knots and in various lengths and species.

The enterprise will use the funds provided to purchase higher-performance production equipment and to retrofit its production line. Stemming from an internal diagnostics process to identify ways to improve product quality and increase manufacturing speed to meet demand, the project will help consolidate eight Béginois Wood Products jobs. This stepped up economic activity will benefit the municipality of Bégin, which is heavily dependent on the forest industry.

About the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE)

This repayable $90,000 contribution has been awarded under Canada Economic Development's Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies (TISQFE).

The TISQFE was brought into force in June 2010 to help communities affected by the forestry crisis diversify their economies in order to ensure their growth and create and maintain employment. The initiative's goal is also to support small and medium-sized enterprises established in those communities so as to ensure their sustainable development.

On July 14, 2011, the Government of Canada announced its intention to allocate a further $20 million in funding over two years to support the Quebec silvicultural sector for 2011 and 2012.

This measure is one of several put in place by the Government of Canada in the past few months to counteract the effects of the forest crisis. Others include the Community Adjustment Fund, with its $1-billion budget over two years to mitigate the impact of the crisis, the $1 billion granted for the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to help enterprises carry out environmentally-friendly projects and the $230 million invested, in collaboration with the Government of Quebec, for silvicultural work and the restoration of bridges and culverts on multi-use forest roads. Workers have also received their fair share of support, with the Government of Canada introducing some of the most generous measures in history to help them through the economic crisis.

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