Premier Ford visits Ottawa Valley lumber company
Premier Doug Ford visited the Ottawa Valley Monday, including a stop to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Shaw Lumber in Pembroke, Ont.
Energy Minister Todd Smith, Natural Resources and Forestry Minister Graydon Smith, and Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski joined Ford for the tour of Renfrew County.
Ford helped mark the 175th anniversary of Herb Shaw and Sons Limited, which was established in 1847. It is Canada's oldest family-owned lumber company. Shaw Lumber produces "top quality pine lumber and utility poles", according to the company's website.
"An innovator in the industry, Herb Shaw and Sons Limited has distinguished itself as a pioneer in the lumber manufacturing industry," Shaw Lumber says on its website "The company maintains a leadership role by manufacturing lumber and poles with timber procured from managed forests."
Hydro One has reaffirmed a commitment to buy 25,000 hydro poles from the company in 2023.
"If it wasn't for companies like Herb Shaw and Sons, we wouldn't be able to have connectivity, we wouldn't be able to get electricity from point A to point B," Ford said.
The derecho in May brought down thousands of poles. Hydro One relies on Herb Shaw and Sons to provide new ones.
But the poles won't just carry electrical wires, the energy minister says. They will be part of the province's plan to provide reliable broadband internet to every community in Ontario by 2025.
"Our plan is to use our wood poles, our infrastructure, in support of the service providers in enabling broadband," said Todd Smith.
"Shaw is a major part of our government's historic effort to build up high-speed internet access right across this province," added Ford.
Kristin Shaw, general manager at Herb Shaw and Sons, says it's an honour to be able to provide something that benefits Ontarians.
"Our natural resources here in the area are something that we don't take lightly. We appreciate what is available to us and we love to hear that it is going to be used by hydro here in Ontario," Shaw said.
--With files from CTV's Dylan Dyson.
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