It’s great to see you all again. I’m very proud to rise today in recognition of our forestry, bioeconomy and mining industry leaders in the Thunder Bay and northern region.

On January 30, Tom Ratz of Resolute and Chris Walton of CRIBE partnered to host the forestry and bioeconomy opportunity road map round table, followed by the Ontario’s forestry bioeconomy workshop. And 80 representatives of these sectors participated in the day’s events, including our Indigenous partners and stakeholders, who have contributed significantly to modernization efforts. We were all extremely grateful that Minister Graydon Smith was able to join us in Thunder Bay.

The “themes for prosperity” examination included the topics of collaboration, innovation, embracing the global economy and staying focused. Decarbonization for remote locations using energy system solutions and decarbonization with the forest bioeconomy for the mining sector were also matters explored.

In closing, on behalf of our stakeholders and partners, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Premier Ford and Minister Graydon Smith for their investments to the critical research project that will enable the future sustainability of our forestry and bioeconomy sector. We will now work together to optimize value creation and synergies, and move from research to production and market. I look forward to our next steps and action items.