Duane Hicks
With winter coming and no current plans by Resolute Forest Products to heat its mill here, the Town of Fort Frances has laid out specifically what it would like to see the province do to help in the immediate future.
In a letter sent yesterday to Natural Resources and Forestry minister Bill Mauro, Mayor Roy Avis thanked Mauro for the opportunity to speak with him Tuesday in Toronto regarding the breakdown of talks between Expera and Resolute, along with the associated issues and concerns.
“We felt that the discussions with you and Minister Gravelle with the town, Chief Sara Mainville of Couchiching First Nation and Chief Patricia Big George, Big Island First Nation, were very constructive,” the mayor wrote.
“We appreciate that you took the time to listen and ask questions regarding our concerns related to this critical matter.”
As a follow-up to Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Avis specified what the town is asking the MNRF and provincial government to do, which includes:
•committing to pay the costs for the heating of the mill in the interests of protecting this vital asset;
•confirming that the traditional wood supply to the Fort Frances mill remains intact, which would mean that the total Crossroute Spruce Pine Fir (SPF) wood supply is available to the owner of the Fort Frances mill (business agreements would be structured by companies to trade saw logs for wood chips);
•rescinding the Crossroute SFL immediately and hire a third-party forest manager to provide services on an interim basis while an Enhanced Sustainable Forest Licence (ESFL) is established;
•requiring Resolute Forest Products to return the $22.5-million grant previously provided by the province for the construction of the biomass facility here (these funds could be used as part of a capital package for the purchaser of the mill for capital
improvements); and
•immediately initiating negotiations for the establishment of an ESFL for the Crossroute Forest for the benefit of all stakeholders.
“With the winter season upon us, these requests are of an urgent nature,” Mayor Avis stressed.
“These measures are necessary to preserve this valuable asset.
“Expera’s plans for this mill means 200 direct jobs and an additional 800 induced,” the mayor added.
“The Rainy River District municipalities and First Nation communities cannot afford to lose this desperately-needed economic stimulus.”
In the meantime, district residents are being asked to write letters to show their support of the Crossroute Forest ESFL.
They can write The Hon. Bill Mauro, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Suite 6630 6th Floor, Whitney Block, B99 Wellesley St. W., Toronto, Ont., M7A 1W3.
For a complete list of politicians to write to, see the ad on page A12 of yesterday’s Times and the back page of today’s Daily Bulletin, or visit the Fort Frances Times Ltd. page on Facebook.
