Hand holding wooden blocks

When wood meets aluminium

Last updated: 25 March 2026

On the ancestral territory of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation in Mashteuiatsh in Quebec, our collaboration with Sciages GP is bringing 12 permanent local jobs, new skills and economic opportunities to the community.

Inside the Sciages GP sawmill, the scent of freshly cut wood fills the workshop.

Upstairs, workers create specialised wood pieces with precision. Downstairs, an industrial workspace designed with a focus on safety and rigour, and filled with pride. In the centre, the people of the Pekuakami.   

Creating value through collaboration

The partnership with Sciages GP began with a simple need. We needed wooden skids to transport aluminium ingots from our operations around the world.

As the contract with another supplier was ending, our journey to fill that need led to Sciages GP, an Indigenous-owned company that produces wood products with responsible resource use.

Two from Sciages GP wearing hard hats
Sciages GP is an Indigenous-owned company that produces wood products with responsible resource use.

 
“Each job created represents a story of pride and autonomy within our community,” Pascal, co-founder of Sciages GP, says.

“It is by betting on local talent and respecting our values, that we are building, together, a sustainable future for future generations”.

With support from our teams and Développement Piekuakami Ilnuatsh – the economic development arm of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation - Sciages GP secured one of the region’s largest contracts awarded by us to an Indigenous business: a multi-million-dollar, 5-year partnership.

People in hard hats and hi-vis vest at a logging site.
Our collaboration with Sciages GP is bringing 12 permanent local jobs, new skills and economic opportunities to the community.

A partnership supporting long-term social and economic value

Since the partnership started, 12 permanent, skilled jobs have been created in the community – stimulating the local economy.

Sciages GP’s unique approach and flexibility inherent to its business model, allows the sawmill to respond to the market demands for unusual wood pieces. In turn, continuing the company’s development.

“By uniting our strengths and values, we become agents of change capable of developing joint projects that benefit both the communities and us,” Sabrina, Director, Relations with First Nations, Social Investments and Regional Economic Development, says.

“We’re proud to move forward together to create value in the community.” 

Sabrina, Director, Relations with First Nations, Social Investments and Regional Economic Development

Looking to the future

We’ve been operating in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region for 100 years, on the ancestral territory of Nitassinan, where the Pekuakamiulnuatsh have a historical presence.

More

In 2022, there was a major turn in our partnership with the signing of the Kuessilueu agreement: meaning the wind is turning. The agreement centred on respect, partnership and long-term vision. Since then:

  • The number of Indigenous suppliers has quadrupled.
  • Economic benefits flowing to the community of Mashteuiatsh have grown. In 2022, we contributed around $1 million to local Indigenous businesses. That increased to $4.95 million in 2025.
  • Capacity-building for Indigenous businesses continues to expand.
Our partnership with Sciages GP is much more than a contract: it is the living embodiment of the spirit of Kuessilueu, an alliance based on respect, vision, and the will to build together a future where pride, autonomy and prosperity come together in the present.