About Us

About Us

Introducing the Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park

Vision

The OEWC & EIP will be a thriving best practices centre of excellence for wood fibre-based and biomass enterprise that brings together technology, science and entrepreneurship; in support of the rural economy of Ontario, sustainable forests and sustainable communities.

A Canadian Corporation (March 2010)

  1. The development of a forest and biomass based and innovation-inspired cluster of industrial, business and demonstration projects in an ecologically sound environment
  2. A platform for scientific collaboration, business development, demonstration, piloting, commercialization, exporting and marketing of a wide array of innovative value-added wood and biomass products, including but not limited to: solid wood building components, biochemicals and bioenergy
  3. Assistance to the forest industry in creating uses for underutilized, lower value wood in Eastern Ontario and the region and
  4. Participation in the restructuring of the forest industry of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence forest for the benefit of rural communities and in partnership with a variety of other organizations, academic institutions, individuals and agencies with compatible goals.

Site Plan

siteplan-01

Bird's Eye View. Click for a larger image.

Location

The Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park will run north from County Road 2 within the 400-acre Edwardsburgh/Cardinal Industrial Park, adjacent to the Port of Prescott.

Concept Plan, Ontario East wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park/Edwardsburgh/Cardinal Industrial ParkTSH engineers, architects, planners 2008

TSH Engineers, Architects and Planners was retained by the Township of Edwardsburgh / Cardinal and the Eastern Ontario Model Forest to complete a summary and assessment of existing infrastructure in and around the Subject Area and identify required infrastructure improvements necessary to develop the Ontario East Wood Centre and Eco-Industrial Park.

siteplan-02

Site plan. Click for a larger image.

As part of this work, a review of infrastructure aspects such as transportation, water supply, sanitary sewerage, storm drainage, and utilities was undertaken. Assessment and consideration of planning, environmental, and physical issues potentially affecting development has been completed

The underlying concept and core research theme is that energy should be conserved and converted. Optimizing energy flows between participants will help reduce environmental impacts and costs, and enhance the site for workers and visitors.

Planned Wood Science Innovation Centre

siteplan-03

Conceptual Elevation. Click for a larger image.

The plans for the Wood Science Innovation Centre include a:

  • Orientation Centre, to offer education, training and conference services
  • Administration/Support Commons, to provide a wide range of pre-commercialization and incubation services, and to support pilot projects
  • Pilot Plant Area, to house facilities where prospects can set up a model manufacturing operation

siteplan-04

Conceptual Elevation. Click for a larger image.

The buildings of the Wood Science Innovation Centre, pilot and demonstration plants and other plants will be candidates for design that optimizes energy use. Built-in energy and resource harvesting systems may be used to help industry participants match plant configurations with outputs-before they design and build their plants. Energy generated in one system may be re-used in other systems. For example, heat generated in IT systems can be used for domestic water and space heating.

The Wood Science Innovation Centre may also be used to demonstrate some of the benefits of certain building technologies. Structural mass and in-floor radiant energy systems can heat and cool a building. Advanced glazing systems, translucent insulation and exterior shading systems can help control day lighting. Increased thermal resistance and sealing of the envelope can decrease energy use. The LEED standard (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) will be an important guide. The Canada Green Building Council includes a LEED component for Canada (www.cagbc.org).

Infrastructure

Park infrastructure

portofprescott

The Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park is served by an infrastructure that has been, or will be, developed:

  • Transportation:
    • Roadways: These include County Road 2, Highway 401, Highway 416, Highway 16, the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, Newport Drive and Commerce Drive.
    • Railway: The main line of the Canadian National Railway (CNR) runs east-west through the northern portion of the site. A spur line from the main line just west of the site serves the Port of Prescott. A new spur line has been proposed to run just east of the Park
    • Seaway: The Port of Prescott, with its railway and roadway arteries, offers access to the St. Lawrence Seaway from just across County Road 2. Its docks and slips are at Seaway draught (8.23 metres/27 feet). The Port is equipped with a large, and growing, grain elevator complex. Forty million dollars in improvements are well under way with funding from all three levels of government.  See www.portofprescott.com
  • Water supply: A first step at increasing the water supply involved building a low lift pump station intake from the St. Lawrence River on municipally owned land opposite the site of the Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park.
  • Sanitary sewage: Currently, there is capacity for additional flows in existing wastewater treatment plants.
  • Hydro: Current network capacity is sufficient to meet the needs of the Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park during initial phases of development.
  • Natural gas: The existing system has adequate capacity to handle typical industrial development.
  • Communications: The existing telecommunications service has the capacity to meet the needs of Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park enterprises. Additionally, EORN (Eastern Ontario Regional Network is a project of the EOWC Inc. (Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Inc. which comprises the 13 upper- and single-tier municipalities within Eastern Ontario, as well as separated municipalities and First Nations communities. This is to be completed in 2014 and will greatly facilitate the movement of large files throughout rural Eastern Ontario
  • Street lighting: Overhead utility poles at the north end of the Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park and new higher-level lighting at its south end will serve as the lighting platforms.

Integrated environmental systems

To an appropriate degree, the Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park will feature integrated environmental systems. The systems address:

  • Impervious surfaces, through the use of pervious pavement, gravel pathways, garden dividers and green roofs
  • Storm water, through standard storm water management techniques (infiltration galleries, soak-away pits, enhanced grass swales, rain gardens and a storm water pond), and end-of-pipe storm water management facilities
  • Landscaping, through structures, paved areas, drainage, green roofs and softscapes with planted areas that balance the needs of industry participants and people, including workers, while they also provide habitat
  • Natural, renewable building construction materials, through the use of heavy timber or recycled materials, cladding systems that include engineered wood products, and modular construction
  • Energy and water conservation practices, including the use of energy and water efficient appliances, fixtures and systems, as well as measures such as the use of heat exchangers, and grey water and storm water recycling systems
  • Renewable energy technologies, through an energy grid that taps wind, solar thermal, solar photo-voltaic or geo-thermal energy sources, and uses the waters of the St. Lawrence River for cooling
  • Renewable systems, through the use of major building systems and waste recycling practices

Partners & Supporters

Partners and Supporters of the Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park

Board of Directors:

1.    Alastair Baird
2.    Brian Barkley
3.    Ray Bonenberg
4.    Tony Bull,  (founding director)
5.    Dr. Michel Caron
6.    Larry Dishaw (founding director)
7.    Deputy Mayor John Hunter (elect)
8.    Geri Kamenz
9.    Sandra S. Lawn (founding director)
10.  Dave Lemkay
11.  Henry Lickers
12.  Jason Linkewich
13.  Dr. Steven Liss
14.  Dennis Senik
15.  Dr. Sandy Smith
16.  François Tanguay
17.  Dr. Ed White
18.  Michael Wildman, CAO

Supporters of the concept

Supporters of the Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park concept include:

Consultants

Consultants involved in the Ontario East Wood Centre & Eco-Industrial Park concept include:

  •     Denzil Doyle (www.doyletechcorp.com)
  •     George Brook, Agricola Group ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
  •     Al Sprague, P.Eng., Emersa Engineering ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  •     Greg Gooch P.Eng. MBA ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
  •     Halifax Global Inc. ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
  •     Dr. Sally Krigstin, U of T ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
  •     Sandra S. Lawn & Associates Inc  (www.sandralawn.ca; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
  •     Marc McArthur, P. Eng., Ottawa Centre for Research & Innovation ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
  •     Ontario Wood Products Export Association, Mark Angelini CEO ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  •     TD Graham & Associates Marketing Communications (www.tdgraham.com)
  •     Vivian Peachey BA (Hon) Master in Forest Conservation ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
  •     Totten Sims Hubiki & Associates (Kingston) (www.tsh.ca)
  •     Wayne Young R.F.P. ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Key Public and Academic Relationships

  • Algonquin College, Ottawa and Pembroke, Ontario: MOU in place; Department of Applied Research and Innovation Director Eastern Ontario Model Forest
  • École Polytechnique: NSERC Chair Paul Stuart
  • Federal government: Industry Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Agriculture Canada’s Rural Secretariat, NSERC
  • Guelph University, Kemptville and Alfred Campuses
  • La Cité collégiale, Ottawa – MOU in place
  • Loyalist College: MOU in place
  • Queen’s University - Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science: Chemical Engineering, School of Business (Monieson Centre), Office of Director of Research, Law, Geography and Policy Studies, contacts available
  • St. Lawrence College, signed MOU
  • State University of New York School of Environmental Science and Forestry; short rotation crops and hot water extraction process; Applied Biorefinery Sciences LLC
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