Support for local contractor


By
May 12, 2023
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Sault Business Matters has received the following media release from the office of Sault member of provincial parliament Ross Romano relative to Ontario government funding for Meakin Contracting.

The Ontario government is providing more than $769,000 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to Meakin Contracting Ltd. in Sault Ste. Marie to expand business operations, boost employment, and create a stable wood supply for local mills.

“This investment in Meakin Contracting Ltd. is helping create new jobs in the forestry sector here in Sault Ste. Marie,” said Ross Romano, MPP for Sault Ste. Marie. “The forestry sector is an important pilar of the northern economy. I am proud to see the Ontario government investing in forestry businesses that contribute to our local, northern and provincial economies.”

Meakin Contracting Ltd. provides logging and road construction services for the forestry sector in the Sault Ste. Marie area. To meet production targets and local demand for its services, the company used over $769,000 in NOHFC funding to purchase hauling and harvesting equipment.

“We greatly appreciate the financial support the NOHFC has provided to our company to assist with the purchase of new equipment,” said Ian Frazier, Controller, Meakin Contracting Ltd. “This equipment provides the ability to haul more wood each load and has resolved a bottleneck in the operation. With this resolved, we have focused on increased wood production, which leads to further road building opportunities. By having this equipment, we have increased employment by one part-time position with the anticipation of being able to run a second shift with another full-time position.”

“Our government is proud to support Sault Ste. Marie’s forestry sector with targeted investments in projects that make real improvements to operations,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development. “Through the NOHFC, we are helping Meakin Contracting Ltd. increase the capacity for log shipments to local mills that depend on stable and predictable wood supplies.”

The NOHFC promotes economic prosperity across Northern Ontario by providing financial assistance to projects—big and small, rural and urban—that stimulate growth, job creation and skills development. Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested more than $639 million in 5,265 projects in Northern Ontario, leveraging more than $2 billion in investment and creating or sustaining over 8,420 jobs.

Quick Fact

  • The Ontario government launched new and improved NOHFC programs that support more projects in rural northern communities and make it easier for more people and businesses to apply. The programs target existing and emerging markets, provide more work opportunities for Indigenous people and address the skilled labour shortage in the North.

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