The Mass Timber Institute …

The Mass Timber Institute (MTI) applauds mass timber being featured prominently in A Blueprint for Success: Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy DRAFT. We believe that Ontario, with its sustainable supply of wood, is well-positioned to capitalize on projected increases in global demand for wood and wood products. There are many synergies between MTI’s goals and A Blueprint for Success. By working closely with the Ontario government and our network of educational, research and commercial partners, we can help position Ontario as a leading producer of mass timber both locally and globally. Is there any reason Canada should not be the leading global exporter of mass timber building systems?

The economic landscape that faces the Ontario forest industry today is challenging: the past twenty years have cost many jobs, especially in the North, and the current trade framework with the sector’s largest customer, the United States, does not favor Ontario wood producers. Innovation and rising global demand provide two major pathways for the sector to overcome these challenges, but the forest industry may not be in the financial position to make the necessary investments themselves.

With proposed mass timber construction projects in and around Ontario, local demand for engineered wood products and mass timber is expected to grow rapidly. This opportunity, however, is one Ontario wood producers, and the communities that rely on them, could miss out on.

Recommendations
1. The Ontario government needs to move quickly with willing partners to assist in the development of provincial supply chains for mass timber.

2. Support small and medium-sized mills and a comprehensive assessment that identifies how woodlot owners and these mills can get their products to mass timber markets. Organizations such as the Eastern Ontario Model Forest, the Ontario Woodlot Association, Forests Ontario and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) are in the best position to organize the mass timber supply chain involving numerous small woodlot owners.

3. Existing degree, diploma and apprenticeship programs and courses in Construction Management, Architecture and Technology, Civil Engineering and Technology, Renovation, Carpentry and more should be enriched with wood and mass timber specific content.

4. Develop a Mass Timber/Wood Graduate Certificate for industry professionals and others who are working and need specialized knowledge and credentials in the area. Expansion of these programs and development of new ones at additional universities and colleges across the province will be important for the mass timber industry to develop fully.

5. The MTI believes that hybrid construction involving a greener1 mix of products is suitable for Ontario. There will always be important functions for concrete and steel, but Ontario should also consider greater use of wood and mass timber products along with concrete and steel in design and construction.

6. Temporary incentives and support or tax breaks specifically for the construction sector are needed to help encourage its adoption of mass timber construction over the short term.

7. Ontario could assist academic projects such as George Brown College’s the Arbour, U of T’s Academic Wood Tower and others in identifying more financial support from public and other sources.

8. Government collaborate with MTI and its network of partners to identify the research agenda that builds upon the excellent research being conducted in the forestry sector and identifies the research priorities for the mass timber transformation.

9. New voices and different perspectives representing the broad mass timber sector are needed on the Advisory Committee in addition to Ontario’s outstanding forestry expertise. Richard Lyall and Andrew Chapeskie are nominated to serve as members of the Advisory Committee to represent the mass timber sector.

See supporting materials for a complete description of our recommendations.