The Honourable Mike Harris, Minister of Natural Resources, alongside the Honourable Kevin Hollard, Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products, recently unveiled Ontario’s Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan – a bold and timely strategy to position the province as a Leader in modern, sustainable building practices. This announcement signals a renewed commitment to Ontario’s forest sector and its future, particularly in the growing space of advanced and mass timber construction and the multi-family residential market.
At Woodsure, we proudly stand behind this provincial initiative. As a national leader in risk management and insurance solutions tailored for wood-based construction and secondary wood manufacturing, we are excited about what this means for both sectors, and how we are uniquely poised to help businesses capitalize on the opportunities ahead.
Unlocking Growth in Secondary Wood Manufacturing
Ontario’s Action Plan highlights the essential role of value-added wood products in job creation, rural economic development, and climate-smart construction. For the secondary wood manufacturing sector, this will provide a significant boost. With rising demand for engineered wood products, prefabrication systems, and tall wood structures, now is the time to scale innovative and capacity.
Woodsure has anticipated this moment. Over the past year, we have enhanced our offerings to support growth in manufacturing, modular and panelized products manufacturing, as well as growth in mass timber, and low to mid-rise multi-family construction. Our Programs provide coverage solutions tailored to the unique risks and needs of manufacturers, builders, and developers working with wood. From manufacturing and design to installation, we understand the complexities, and the promise of advanced wood construction.
Stronger Together: Our Continued Partnerships
This momentum would not be possible without strong industry leadership, and we are honoured to continue our collaboration with the Canadian Wood Council (CWC) and its WoodWorks resource program. As national advocates for sustainable wood manufacturing and construction, the CWC plays a critical role in advancing technical knowledge, market development, and building code evolution.
Together, Woodsure and the CWC are supporting the delivery of solutions for multi family residential and tall wood construction in Canada. Ontario’s Action Plan amplifies these efforts and paves the way for an even greater national impact.
Additionally, we maintain our partnerships with the Canadian Wood Truss Association (CWTA), the Prefabrication Building Initiative (PBI) and other industry associations that are close collaborators with governments, builders, manufacturers, and suppliers. We all have a shared commitment to helping Canada’s wood sector thrive, enabling resilience, innovation and sustainability. By taking this decisive action, Ontario is aligning public policy with market momentum.
Looking Ahead
We see Ontario’s Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan as more than just a policy, it is a signal of intent. It is about harnessing the natural advantages of our forests, empowering skilled trades, and manufacturers to build greener, faster, and smarter and we share in this vision.
To everyone working to shape this future – we say, let us build it together.
To read the full plan, download a copy here.
Written by Connie Rowley, SVP of the Manufacturing Wood Products and Mass Timber Program at Woodsure/Axis Insurance Managers Inc.