Lavern Heideman & Sons sawmill undergoes $16.9M expansion

Nov. 29, 2016 – Ontario sawmill Lavern Heideman & Sons is receiving $4 million over five years from the provincial government to help bring its facility up-to-date.

Under the $16.9-million expansion project, the sawmill plans to modernize its infrastructure, purchase new equipment and consolidate operations. Ninety existing jobs will be kept and 18 new positions will be created as a result.

“Lavern Heideman & Sons has been committed to growing Eastern Ontario and supporting hard working families for three generations. This is an important investment to secure jobs for employees in our region both at the sawmill and in the sustainable management of Ontario’s renewable resource, forests,” said Kris Heideman, vice president at Lavern Heideman & Sons. “Working with the province to expand advanced manufacturing at our Eganville mill demonstrates our confidence in the future of forestry.”

Lavern Heideman & Sons is the first recipient of the province’s Forestry Growth Fund, which was implemented to help the industry boost innovation, increase production capacity, increase competitiveness and expand into new markets. The fund will provide up to $10 million annually until 2023-24 to forest sector companies.
 
“The forest sector is vital to Ontario’s social, economic and environmental well-being. These investments will help propel the province’s forest sector forward, improving competitiveness while providing well-paying jobs for Ontarians,” said Kathryn McGarry, minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.

According to the government, Ontario’s forestry sector generates $11 billion of economic activity annually and provides jobs for 170,000 people in 260 communities across the province.