Marketing and Promotion

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is working with partners across Ontario to strengthen the business climate for the forest products industry.

MNR believes initiatives that create strategic partnerships with industry, associations and governments bolster Ontario’s forest products sector. Together, MNR and its partners are developing tools, policies and partnerships to stimulate demand for Ontario-based forests products. This includes:

• Building consumer awareness of Ontario-produced wood products through Ontario Wood.
• Assisting industry to expand export capacity and access new markets for their products.
• Fostering a culture of wood use in Ontario because using wood is good for our economy, our communities and the environment.

That's why in 2005, MNR created the Ontario Wood Promotions Program (OWPP). The OWPP is an innovative program that is helping Ontario grow its value-added sector by:

• Developing skills and training
• Expanding capacity
• Developing markets
• Researching and analyzing market intelligence. 

OWPP supports the Canadian Wood Council’s WOOD WORKS! initiative, which promotes training and education for architects and engineers who want to use wood in construction projects.

Other exciting innovations include building an industry cluster, the Bluewater Wood Alliance, and providing funding for colleges/universities to help train and guide the next generation of wood workers. 

MNR is also helping Ontario’s wood-product manufactures take advantage of opportunities to export products to customers in key target markets. 

Ontario Wood was created to build awareness and expand markets for Ontario-produced wood products. The program vision is to boost the domestic forest industry and help strengthen the provincial economy.

There are many choices for consumers who buy wood products. The growing consumer interest in locally produced products creates a strategic opportunity to make Ontario Wood a greater part of Ontarians’ lives. Ontario Wood wants to make consumers aware that wood grown in Ontario is the best choice. That’s why Ontario Wood is designed to:

• Increase the awareness of the socio-economic and environmental contribution Ontario’s forests and forest industry make to the province.
• Increase the awareness of the attributes of wood to expand and support the use of wood.
• Encourage Ontarian’s to think about the benefits of “buying local” when it comes to wood and wood products. 

• Canadian Wood Council
• Bluewater Wood Alliance