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At 10 March 2011, Collège Boréal and Xstrata Nickel signed a cooperation agreement officially committing to the development of an experimental forest.
Situated on properties owned by Xstrata Nickel in Dowling (Levack) and Norman (Capréol), this 2,100 acre forest will provide Natural Resources students from Collège Boréal a natural laboratory setting in which they will be able to conduct a variety of experiments and applied research projects. This initiative is one of a series that both partners entered into in 2009, through which they have committed to protecting the bio-diversity of Northern Ontario. Collège Boréal President, Denis Hubert-Dutrisac, in reiterating the context of the agreement, added the following: "The creation of this experimental forest represents the second phase of the project which we entered into two years ago when we inaugurated Collège Boréal’s Xstrata Nickel Biodiversity Applied Research Centre. Today, our natural resources students not only benefit from a new laboratory and ultra-modern greenhouses that bring our production capacity up to 500,000 seedlings every year, but can also enrich their learning through valuable practical experience at the same time contributing to the development of our forests, our natural heritage." For Marc Boissonneault, Vice-President, Sudbury Operations for Xstrata Nickel, this new phase reinforces in a meaningful way, the company’s commitment to postsecondary education, the Sudbury community and the environment: "Through this new agreement, Xstrata Nickel continues to support innovation and applied research in the postsecondary and environmental domains. Each year, thousands of additional tree seedlings will be added to Xstrata Nickel’s reforestation efforts, which average between 60,000 and 100,000 trees mostly cultivated in Collège Boréal’s greenhouses and planted every year in our region. As such, Collège Boréal and Xstrata Nickel reaffirm their support to the Biodiversity Action Plan for Greater Sudbury." Collège Boréal Green Committee Chair and Professor of Natural Resources, Marc Hébert, adds that the immediate impact of this agreement is with the young men and women who are passionate about their studies in this sector: "Thanks to this new experimental forest and our existing facilities, our students are afforded a vast array of learning tools which will serve them well as they prepare to work in this field. Having had the benefit of the latest technologies at the College and now an entire experimental forest as a classroom, they will reap the results of Collège Boréal’s ongoing efforts to continue to lead in matters of natural resources and the environment." Finally, it is worth mentioning that this initiative occurs one month after the United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. "Promoting knowledge and a vibrant culture" – This is Collège Boréal’s vision, a French-language institution of postsecondary and skills training, established in 1995, which contributes to the growth and development of communities in Northern and Central-Southwestern Ontario. Collège Boréal promotes the values of humanism, excellence and inclusion as well as an active awareness of environmental issues that affect our society. Collège Boréal is the first education sector representative officially designated by the Government of Ontario under the French Language Services Act. Xstrata Nickel, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is one of Xstrata Group’s global commodity businesses. Xstrata Nickel’s operations include mines and processing facilities in Canada, the Dominican Republic and Australia, and a refinery in Norway. Xstrata Nickel has a world-class portfolio of growth projects in New Caledonia, Tanzania and Brazil. Xstrata Nickel is the world’s fifth largest nickel producer, with annual managed production of more than 92,000 tonnes of refined nickel. |
