The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Research is underway to determine whether the vast wilderness might allow Flin Flon-Creighton to shed its "one-industry town" label with the potential addition of a few hundred new forestry jobs. The Saskatchewan government, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and logging giant Tolko Industries have commissioned a study on the feasibility of building a wood mill in the area. "In a way, we're doing doing prospecting," said Allan Willcocks, executive director of Saskatchewan Environment Forest Service. "You spend some money on it, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't." The study, expected be completed in a matter of weeks, aims to conclude whether the wood supply and economics here make sense to open a mill. Based on the type of trees in the area Ð mainly black and white Spruce, Jack Pine and Aspen Ð Willcocks said the most likely type of facility would be an oriented strand board (OSB) mill. An OSB mill, which Willcocks said would require an initial investment of $200-$250 million, would produce wood products for a variety of construction needs. If such a plant were to become a reality, Willcocks said there is a possibility a lumber mill or other types of "valued-added mills" could follow. But Willcocks, who is based in Prince Albert, stressed that while there may be reason for cautious optimism, it is far too early for people to get their hopes up. "We're just trying to look and see whether there could be a competitive mill built there of any sort," he said. The first step toward answering that question will be the completion of the ongoing feasibility study. A consulting company has been hired to research factors such as forest inventory, location of trees, suitability of existing road systems and skill level of the workforce. Willcocks estimated the forested region being looked at covers as many as five million hectares of land around the Flin Flon-Creighton area. If the study results are favourable, financial backing would still have to be secured Ð an often lengthy process Ð for any project to get off the ground. Should a mill project ultimately succeed, it would have a massive impact on the local economy. The best case scenario, Willcocks said, would see "a few hundred" new direct jobs, but he could not be more specific at this early stage. The Saskatchewan Environment employee expects the concerned parties will have a good idea by Christmas whether a mill makes sense. If it doesn't, that isn't necessarily the end of the story. Willcocks mentioned that economic factors that might make a project impractical Ð a high Canadian dollar or U.S. lumber tariffs, for instance Ð can improve over time. With major operations in the northern communities of The Pas and the burgeoning Meadow Lake, Sask., Tolko Industries was eager to become a partner in the feasibility study. "Of course the wood supply in that area is of some interest to us," said Sheila Catlin, a spokesperson for the B.C.-based company. "There may be some potential opportunities, but we would certainly have to look at the results of the study. Until we get the results of the study, we have no current plans." See 'Always' P.# Con't from P.# Catlin said it's too early to say whether Tolko is optimistic about the study, but added that the company "is always looking for opportunities for strategic growth." Willcocks, who has worked in forestry for some three decades, believes the Flin Flon-Creighton area has appealing features for a mill, including a rail line, skilled workers and a "potentially reasonable wood supply." But there are downsides, too. The quality of road systems and forest here is not as high as in other places, he said. Willcocks said that unlike mines, which have a definite life span, wood mills use a resource that is renewable. "These mills are built for decades, they're not built for five or ten or twenty years," he said. "These are sustainable industries and the resources are renewable." While reiterating that residents should not assume a mill is imminent, Willcocks said the very fact that people are studying the area is a positive sign. "We don't do this everywhere," he said. "We are just looking, and whether it translates into a mill or not, it depends on economics."
