BARRY’S BAY – Sawmills across Renfrew County will soon have a local plant to ship their sawdust and other wood products.
On April 4, Ontario’s Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli was in Pembroke to announce the reopening of Pembroke MDF Inc., formerly known as the ATC plant.
The plant produces products that are turned into items like kitchen counters and furniture. Production began to cease in 2008 due to the housing downturn in the United States and the business officially closed its doors in 2009.
Chiarelli explained on Friday that the plant has qualified for Ontario’s Industrial Electricity Incentive (IEI,) giving the plant a cheaper energy rate.
The OPA contract will save the company more than $24 million in a six-year period. Chiarelli said in a statement that IEI programs improve competitiveness of Ontario companies in an increasingly competitive global economy.
“This is a step in the right direction for Ontario manufacturers to spur economic growth and create jobs while benefitting from a reliable and cost-efficient electricity system,” Chiarelli explained.
The reopening of the plant is expected to create 110 jobs plus another 40 when the moulding plant is reopened.
The announcement will affect 19 local lumber mills across the county, including those in Barry’s Bay and surrounding areas, 58 timber-harvesting businesses,
15 trucking companies and forest management companies with a total employment of 1,895.
Get your April 9, 2014 edition of The Valley Gazette to read this full story.