ECONOMY

To see the Economic Recovery and Diversification Plan click here.

Today, the two large industries on our territory, Tembec and Commonwealth Plywood are going through difficult times.  Commonwealth Plywood has practically stopped all operations in our sector, thus leaving 92 employees out of work.

This situation is largely caused by outside elements such as the increase of the Canadian dollar, the softwood lumber conflict, international competition, energy cost, the cost of raw material, which are all causes outside our control.

Confronting this situation, the Quebec Government, through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Regions, has set up, for mono-industrial towns, diversification and development contracts.

In March 2006, the Municipality of Kipawa joined forces with the Town of Temiscaming to restart and diversify their economy.  Thanks to this initiative, both municipalities have now created a relaunch committee with the following members:

  • Marie Lefebvre, mayor, Municipality of Kipawa
  • Monique Savard, general manager, Municipality of Kipawa
  • Serge Larochelle, councilor, Municilapity of Kipawa
  • Philippe Barette, mayor, Town of Temiscaming
  • Maurice Paquin, general manager, Town of Temiscaming
  • Pierre Gingras, councilor, Town of Temiscaming
  • Yves Ouellet, Tembec
  • Jack Phillips, Commonwealth Plywood
  • Lance Hay, Chief, Eagle Village First Nation
  • Harry St-Denis, Chief, Wolf Lake First Nation
  • Dean Sparling, President, Temiscaming and Kipawa Chamber of Commerce
  • Louise Laforge, merchant
  • Simon Fraser,
  • Mélanie Chartier, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Regions
  • Adèle Beauregard,  Director of SDT
  • Pascale Gagné, assistant to the economic diversification for the towns of   Temiscaming and Kipawa
  • Arnaud Warolin, development agent for the towns of Temiscaming and Kipawa

We believe that the relaunch and diversification approach is a long term process that necessitates the implication of the entire community, the existence of local leadership, the presence of promotors and access to appropriate financing.

The results are difficult to evaluate but, looking at all our actions, we hope to be able within a few months, to obtain the following results:

    • Increasing public awareness as to the importance of the diversification approach;
    • Increasing public awareness as to the importance of promotors;
    • Involving organizations and enterprises in the diversification approach;
    • Having given our population hope for the future.

We also hope to have improved our image and sufficiently inform the promotors of the development potentials of our area.

Also, we are confident that, with the help of all partners involved in this approach, we will succeed in realizing many of the projects in our economic relaunch and diversification plan.