THUNDER BAY, ON  -- December 15, 2008  -- At the coldest and darkest time of the year there was a very warm reception for gathered politicians and dignitaries as the formation of C.R.I.B.E was formally announced. Thunder Bay will become the provinces Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio Economy. CRIBE will focus on commercializing new bio-products and services which have traditionally relied on fossil fuels. The province backed up this new research centre with a commitment of $25 million dollars.

Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines stated “Ontario’s investment in CRIBE demonstrates that our government is responding to the challenges facing our province and our resource sector in the 21st century. By supporting innovation we can drive new job creation and prosperity.”

Essentially many of the good things which are made from oil can be manufactured from bio-mass (wood). Wood does not have the advantage of being underground for a few hundred million years, but technology has changed, and many useful bio-engineered products can be commercialized. This makes it possible for existing forestry business to develop additional revenue streams, and paves the way for entirely new industries in the north. CRIBE’s initial effort will be to develop a pilot bio-refinery in Thunder Bay that will become a “test bed” for new products and processes which use wood fibre as a raw material and lead to the next generation of forestry products.

The bio-refinery initiative as currently contemplated will take place at Abitibi-Bowater's Thunder Bay facility. It would focus on transportation fuels and energy, fibres/fillers/composites and chemicals. The cost of this project is to be shared with industry, and the lessons learned will be made available to the academic community.

Her Worship Mayor Lynn Peterson knows that Thunder Bay has a lot to offer CRIBE. The city has the largest established forestry infrastructure east of the Rockies. The area has a vast high value forest. The city has research facilities and academic support through Lakehead University and Confederation College where there is already an existing bio-economy interest. Thunder Bay is close to the large mid American market, and the city is a major transportation hub connecting air, water, road, and rail. Best if all there are lots of skilled people ready to work in the new bio-economy here in the city. Having CRIBE in our city will be a positive step to a prosperous future.

“We will be moving this project along at the pace of business” the statement from The Minister for Research and Innovation, John Wilkinson. “It is important that this project produce tangible results within three years.”

MPP Thunder Bay-Atikokan Bill Mauro said “Investing in research and innovation will strengthen and diversify our resource based economy and help ensure Ontario’s abundant forest resources continue to provide a sustainable future for our forest industry and the communities that depend on it”.

There is so much that will come from this initiative and today’s announcement of $25 million in funding for the centre is only the beginning. The Interim CEO of CRIBE , Michael Willis will be looking for academic partners, commercial partners and federal funding for CRIBE’s projects.

 

Bert Rowson for
LakeSuperiorNews.com