Natural Resources Canada funds Indigenous bioenergy projects

On Jan. 23, Natural Resources Canada announced it will award $589,629 to three Indigenous forestry projects in British Columbia that will create jobs and boost the local economy. Two of the projects focus on bioenergy production.

The awards include:

Chu Cho Environmental—$475,000: Funding for this project will support an Indigenous bioheat project in Tsay Keh Dene Nation by allowing Chu Cho Environmental—a Tsay Keh Dene Nation-owned company—to assess the feasibility of using biomass to generate heat and power. Once complete, the project would be among the first of its kind to provide heat and power to an Indigenous community in the province. Natural Resources Canada also noted the bioheat project is the second project announced under its Clean Energy for Rural and remote Communities program, which aims to reduce the reliance of rural and remote communities on fossil fuel heat and power, with particular emphasis on Indigenous communities.

Tzah Tez Tlee Devopment Corp. —$50,000: The funding will be used to help launch a feasibility study on a biomass heating system in Fort Babine, British Columbia, that would use excess wood residues from the mill to reduce the community’s reliance on diesel. The project was funded through the Indigenous Forestry Initiative and the Strategic Partnerships Initiative

Witset First Nation—$64,629: Funding for this project will support equipment upgrades, help train workers and enable new developments at the Kyahwood Forest Products facility in Witset, British Columbia. The project was funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Indigenous Forestry Initiative, which is a featured component of Canada’s Softwood Lumber Action Plan.