Cranberry Business Park will be making significant changes to the former Catalyst Paper Tis’kwat millsite, with the intention of attracting significant industry and employment.
In an interview with the Peak, Cranberry Business Park CEO Craig Austin, and executive chairman Thomas Ligocki, outlined plans for the site, which they want to maintain as industrial.
Austin said Cranberry Business Park, a Canadian-owned company, is purchasing the central part of the mill.
“When you drive into the mill gates, we have all the paper machine buildings and most of the infrastructure of the millsite,” said Austin. “Tla’amin Nation has some property up by the clarifier area and also has some property down by the mill shops. Cranberry will have the docks. Also, our purchase involves the landfill as well.”
The hope is that significant new tenants can be attracted.
“We are targeting and focusing on tenants that are going to bring jobs,” said Ligocki. “It makes business sense to attract green businesses because that is where support from government will hopefully come from. We need that support from government.
“‘Government’ means the federal government, the provincial government, local government and Tla’amin Nation government. Just because we’ve got broad ideas and we’ve brought money, that alone is not sufficient for success. Success requires those governments to give us the green light to carry on activities.”
Ligocki said there have already been discussions with senior levels of government.
“Government wants this to remain an industrial site, which is good,” said Ligocki. “An example is there is a company that wants to come to Powell River that is offering to bring renewable fuel that would be used as jet fuel for YVR (Vancouver International Airport).
“YVR has a mandate to bring in renewable fuel. So, in Powell River, we could make all the renewable fuel that YVR needs for all the airplanes.”
To accommodate new businesses and industry, Cranberry Business Park has hired Clearview Demolition out of Chilliwack. Austin said Clearview will be bringing a barge with its equipment over and that the company is planning to start demolition on the west side of the millsite at the beginning of August.
Also being brought into the millsite is a company called Enviro-Vac, which lists industrial cleaning and decontamination solutions on its website. Austin said Enviro-Vac will be bringing in its asbestos remediation crew, taking all the asbestos out of buildings that are coming down or are being cleared out.
Austin added that a company from Vancouver Island came in and carried out an inspection prior to the offer to purchase.
“They took 900 samples around the site and they didn’t find anything that the mill folks here knew was already there, so that was good,” said Austin. “So, the demolition crews are ready to go based on that inspection of the hazardous materials on the site.”
Austin said there is a detailed site inspection going on with a qualified engineer that Domtar, the mill’s owner, hired. He said the engineer is working with Cranberry Business Park and Tla’amin Nation, and the inspection is supposed to be completed by the end of the year.
“They have completed half of it, and so far, so good,” said Austin. “We’re comfortable with the findings so far.”
The mill’s biggest landmark, the kraft mill stack, will be coming down.
“I realize it is a bit of a landmark, just like the hulks out in the water, but little bits have fallen off, so it’s coming down,” said Austin. “The kraft mill will be coming down as well.”
Austin said the paper machine buildings will be left up, and some of the buildings that are connected to the paper machine buildings, but all the others will be coming down, in a 12- to 14-month timeframe.
Austin said that section 21 of the provincial Act to Provide for the Incorporation of the District of Powell River will be maintained, which indicates that the millsite area will be permanently zoned for industrial purposes.
In terms of job creation, Ligocki said the millsite provides the opportunity for a significant number of jobs.
“The site is perfect; Powell River is perfect in a number of ways,” said Ligocki. “An example we have been looking at is aquaculture companies, meaning land-based fish farming. The beauty is, because for any pipes that need to go into the ocean, the drop-off is very steep, so pipes don’t need to go as far as in other locations.
“Campbell River has been considered, but because it takes more than a kilometre to get to the required depth, it is not as attractive. Powell River has access to electricity, so that’s excellent. Powell River has a skilled workforce, so that’s excellent. There’s a lot going for Powell River.”
Ligocki said he had to emphasize, however, that it will be difficult to attract significant industry if regulators make the process of establishing the businesses difficult.
As for the foreshore rights, Ligocki said they are currently not owned by anyone.
“The leases have expired and they need to be reassigned,” said Ligocki. “We’re hoping that normal business practices will prevail, and that means normally, that translates into whoever the upland owner is. They get the foreshore. It would be unfortunate if we own the hulks, but we are not allowed to own the water rights around them.
“There are complications that Domtar has had to navigate, and now we have inherited some of those complications. We are going to do the best and the right thing, and work with all constituents. The hulks are not there for our benefit. They are for the benefit of Tla’amin and for City Transfer. We want to be good stewards and maintain them, but we need government to give us permits. We don’t have any rights now.”
Finally, Austin said that Cranberry Business Park has a good working relationship with Tla’amin in sharing the mill property, which is important for his company.
“We appreciate the Tla’amin Nation very much,” said Austin. “We’re looking at some collaborative projects with Tla’amin and they are also looking at their own projects. It’s a wonderful relationship that we’ve forged, and we appreciate them very much.”
Join the Peak's email list for the top headlines right in your inbox Monday to Friday.
