Canadian government supports biomass network

May 25, 2012, Amqui, QB – Acting on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of
Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic
Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Jacques Gourde,
Member of Parliament for Lotbinière–Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, today
announced the awarding of funding to the Réseau d’expertise et de valorisation en biomasse forestière.

“By lending its financial support to this network, the Government of
Canada is showing proof of its firm commitment to promoting economic
growth grounded in innovation,” said Mr. Gourde.

Initiated in 2009, the Réseau d’expertise et de valorisation en biomasse forestière
is aimed at developing an industrial cluster to maximize economic
spinoffs from the conversion of biomass into energy. Through its
activities, the organization supports enterprises in their efforts to
develop and market products and services that meet the needs of the
sector and to build expertise that can subsequently be shared throughout
Quebec. The project for which the network has been granted funding
involves hiring staff to coordinate and ensure the success of its
activities.

The Réseau d’expertise et de valorisation en biomasse forestière
is in the Regional County Municipality of La Matapédia, an area of the
Bas-Saint-Laurent region that has been severely affected by the crisis
in the forest sector and one where jobs have historically been centred
on forest development and processing.

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

This $194,488 in non-repayable funding has been awarded through 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 secondary and tertiary wood processing projects in these
communities.

This measure is one of several put in place by the Government of Canada
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 to the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program
to help enterprises carry out environmentally-friendly projects, and
the $238 million invested, in collaboration with the Government of
Quebec, for silvicultural work and the maintenance of multi-use forest
roads.