I am the President of NEOMA, which extends from Matheson to Hearst, about a four-hour drive. I represent all the communities in northern Ontario. The way in which our forest industry works means that each community depends on the others for survival. Plants need each other, for wood chips, dust and so on. Everything is interrelated. When one plant closes its doors, the rest of the forest industry goes out of balance. That is where it is important.
I think that the government needs a new vision for the forest industry. Hearst has "gone green" for two years now, with a vision based on the environment, on people and on economic development. The government talks about it, but we need action, we need it to support communities who want to move with the times.
In Hearst, we have the Bio-Com Project, which is designed to provide information on biotechnology, on converting biomass to ethanol, on methanol, on information technology, on automation, on new processes, new materials and value-added products. In our neck of the woods, we are just used to making 2 x 4s, 2 x 6s and 2 x 8s. We have to adapt to demand if our communities are going to survive.