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Rickford rains $7.9 million in provincial funding on Sudbury and northeast mining, forestry companies

Government money earmarked for new technologies, building and production expansions
Ionic Mechatronics building expansion 2
Ionic Mechatronics building expansion (Company photo)

Some Sudbury industrial supply and service companies are taking home the bulk of more than $7.9 million in announced provincial funding.

Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry Minister Greg Rickford delivered the news in Sudbury, July 19.

According to his ministry, this money supports 112 jobs in the Sudbury and Algoma regions. The money is coming through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

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Here's the rundown of the recipients:

- $2,650,000 to Black Bird Management Limited in Batchawana Bay to help build a new harvesting and processing facility for maple products. The project will create the largest producer of maple syrup in the province.

- $1,000,000 to McDowell Brothers Industries in Sudbury to help build a new equipment manufacturing and parts fabrication facility.

- $500,000 to Ionic Mechatronics in Lively for a building expansion, the purchase of equipment and prototype and technical labour costs, and to enable the company to commercialize an energy isolation system that caters to the needs of mining, steel and other large-scale industries.

- $500,000 to Symboticware in Sudbury to help develop, demonstrate and market its innovative data management and analysis technology for the mining sector.

- $400,000 to B&R Rubber Services in Val Caron to purchase a new facility to increase its production capability of rubber products.

- $400,000 to T. Bell Transport Inc.—a hauling company in Nairn and Hyman for wood products, mining and construction industries—to purchase forestry equipment and a fiber connection for its office.

- $400,000 to Salto Heat Treating in Sudbury to establish a new division and facility that offers heat treating of metal-fabricated products.

- $400,000 to Stevens Sustainable Forestry in Hilton Beach to increase fleet delivery trucks from one to three.

- $371,694 to Carlyle Forest Products Inc. in Sudbury to help purchase new equipment and expand operations to meet demand for forest materials.

- $304,870 to HLS Hard-Line Solutions Inc. in Sudbury to help develop artificial intelligence software and related hardware to automate a rock breaker.

- $298,513 to Sudbury Lime Limited in Wahnapitae to help build a second plant to produce hydrated lime and related products used in various applications by the mining, water and wastewater treatment and construction industries.

- $250,000 to HLS Hard-Line Solutions Inc. in Dowling to fully automate rock breaking with machine learning and automation. The project will increase productivity and efficacy in mines and civil projects.

- $185,185 to Lessard Welding—a steel products manufacturer in Chelmsford—to purchase new equipment that will increase production capacity, reduce lead time and improve working conditions.

- $179,924 to City Welding Sudbury Limited—an advanced manufacturer of high-end metal fabrications—to purchase new equipment.

- $81,113 to Roger Nantel Trucking in Dubreuilville to help purchase equipment for log loading, truck and trailer log hauling and road maintenance.

- $47,480 to Gordon Enders Contracting Ltd. in White River to help purchase new forestry equipment.

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“Our government is proud to invest in the forestry and mining industries in northeastern Ontario to enhance business operations, drive productivity and boost competitiveness in key sectors,” said Rickford in a statement.

“The investments will propel Northern Ontario’s economy forward by creating and preserving good jobs for hardworking northerners across our vast region.”

"For Symboticware, the Ontario government’s financial support was timely and beneficial for the demonstration and commercialization of our industrial monitoring system, which supports remote drill equipment operators with real-time feedback and analysis on exploration drilling performance," added Kirk Petroski, the company's founder and executive chairman,in a prepared statement.

Ryan Siggelkow, senior vice president of technology at HLS Hard-Line Solutions, said in a news release that the funding is earmarked for the commercial launch of their auto rockbreaker project.

"This breakthrough innovation will help automate the rockbreaking process at mines all over the world and we are thrilled to be at the forefront of this technology. "