Forest bioeconomy in Ontario - A policy discussion

Ontario's forest sector has been undergoing a significant structural shift resulting from a more than decade-long trend of declining markets for traditional products. Though there have been signs of industry recovery, the forestry industry is still far smaller than it once was. In order to sustain and improve Ontario's economic position, we must develop policies and supporting programs that transition our forest economy to a more robust and diverse set of markets, including capitalizing on opportunities that come from a thriving and sustainable forest bioeconomy. The current suite of programs is fragmented and does not provide support for all types of bioproducts and policy initiatives, nor across all sections of the value chain. These factors, coupled with the lack of a clear strategic direction for the bioeconomy, have contributed to Ontario's slow emergence into the bioeconomy when compared to other jurisdictions. It is proposed that a key way to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of policy support for the emerging bioeconomy is to integrate and coordinate the actions of the government with industry and academia players involved in the bioproducts sector. Forest policy needs to take a balanced, integrated approach to promote all aspects of the bioeconomy to help ensure the eventual success of Ontario's forest bioeconomy.