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Old Economy
to New Economy

Agriculture is just one of the traditional Quebec mainstays turning a new leaf. Witness the work of the Pointe-Claire Noranda Technology Centre (www.noranda.com) into the extraction of magnesium from asbestos mine tailings, research that has lead to the creation of the Magnola plant in Asbestos. Alcan, in Jonquiëre, invests $67 million in research worldwide, $23.5 million of which at the Arvida R&D Center. Twelve mining companies, the government of Quebec and university faculties partner in the Consortium de Recherche Minérale, a concept that can also be found in the pulp and paper industry at the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada (PAPRICAN at www.paprican.ca), or in the wood products industry at Forinteck Canada Corp. in Ste.-Foy, where a pilot plant was inaugurated last year. Research is needed to help the wood products industry make better use of a scarcer resource, while paper manufacturers are increasingly turning to higher value-added products.