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.
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.”
