Staff
Resolute Forest Products has committed to heating portions of its Fort Frances pulp mill through the winter, but the town wants to know exactly what this will entail and whether it will be enough.
“We are heating critical areas to allow the mill to restart if a successor owner is found,” confirmed Seth Kursman, vice-president of Corporate Communications, Sustainability & Government Affairs for Resolute.
Mayor Roy Avis said he is seeking clarification on Resolute’s plans, but his current understanding is that Resolute will put the mill into “asset protection mode.”
“My biggest question is: ‘What do they mean by asset protection?’ Would it be security-wise?” he remarked.
“Our biggest concern, as a community, is that the facility is heated in such a manner that it will be able to be re-started in the future, if it’s possible,” the mayor said.
“I have some great concerns about what they mean and what they’re saying,” added Mayor Avis, noting he planned to find out more details later today.
Unifor, meanwhile, has said it supports the move by Resolute.
“We’re very pleased that a short-term solution has been found,” Unifor national president Jerry Dias said in a press release issued Saturday.
“Protecting this mill while we determine its future was an essential first step,” he noted.
The pulp mill here has been closed for more than a year.
However, the union, community, and provincial government are exploring options for the mill’s future, noted Dias.
“The reality is that the forestry industry is in recovery—but will only reach its potential if there is government action to establish a fair and economical way to manage our forestry resources and develop a strategy for this vital sector which is rich with potential,” Dias stressed.
Earlier this month, Unifor called on the minister of Natural Resources and Forestry to immediately establish a multi-stakeholder task force to make recommendations regarding forestry licensing and resource management.
“At this time, we would like to thank Resolute, a leader in the industry, for their commitment to protecting the mill and its equipment, and for their co-operation in ongoing efforts to find a buyer for the mill,” Dias said in Unifor’s release.
“We are also grateful to the provincial government for the important role it is playing to secure a future for the mill,” he added.
