New OSB mill construction in Prince Albert set for 2025
After years of delays and planning, a new oriented strand board (OSB) mill is coming to Prince Albert.
"We're not saying we're getting an OSB plant," Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne said. "We now have one."
The province announced the new $543 million plant Thursday, which is expected to start construction in 2025 and will open in 2027.
One Sky Forest Products will build and operate the mill in partnership with multiple First Nations and Indigenous companies who have invested into One Sky.
After first announcing timber allocations in 2021 to help get the mill built, One Sky CEO Brian Fehr says too much time passed and the company instead took up an opportunity in Alabama. Thursday's announcement of 1.2 million cubic metres of timber and current market conditions lead Fehr to believe the mill will be built soon.
"I don't want to ever see Scott Moe if this doesn't go ahead like I'm serious," Fehr said. "I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't believe I was going to go ahead."
Indigenous Forestry Investments was formed by the four shareholders of One Sky -- Montreal Lake Business Ventures, Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Big River First Nation, and Tatanka Oyate Holdings -- to bring a unified Indigenous voice to the communities they represent.
Fehr said right now he's 95 per cent confident the mill will go ahead, but before construction can begin One Sky will need to bring in more partners, investment, and money to build the mill and work with the province to secure a cost-effective supply route to ensure the timber isn't being trucked in from far away.
"We still have the fiber, we still have the opportunity, we have the infrastructure, we have the access to the market," Premier Scott Moe said. "You have the regulatory will from the government, so there are many opportunities that are here."
Moe said the province has set a target of doubling Saskatchewan's forestry sector by 2030, and One Sky's mill will help meet that target with increased participation from Indigenous businesses and roughly 800 jobs for northern residents.
OSB is an engineered wood panel, which is similar to plywood and is a preferred material in home construction for roof, wall, and floor sheathing.
However, plans to revive the pulp mill northeast of the city appear to be on hold. Fehr doesn't believe pulp is a viable product in today's market and getting Paper Excellence's mill up and running will be too expensive.
"If that’s bad I am sorry, but I just don’t believe it myself," Fehr said.
The pulp and paper mill in Prince Albert was established by Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper in 1988. The company began to shut down its operations in 2006 and sold the property and assets to Domtar in 2008.
In 2011, Domtar sold the property to Paper Excellence. A non-compete clause that prevented Paper Excellence from producing pulp at the mill ended in March 2020.
Paper Excellence announced plans to reopen the pulp mill in February 2021, and a tour of the facility followed in May 2022.
Fehr said One Sky's Prince Albert mill will share a site with Paper Excellence in what he called "an integrated forest products" site.
The province plans to double the size of Saskatchewan's forestry sector by 2030, and a mill in Prince Albert will help the province get there. While Fehr is happy to be doing business in Saskatchewan instead of British Columbia.
"Don't ever underestimate how pissed off I am at my own province. We can't do anything there anymore -- It's just disgusting," Fehr said, before saying what a pleasure it's been to work with the provincial government.
"Compared to the bullshit we get in British Columbia. Holy smokes."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Say it to my face': Singh confronts heckling protester on Parliament Hill
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confronted a protester for calling him a 'corrupted bastard' on Parliament Hill on Tuesday.
Bride's family speaks as West Vancouver woman sentenced for driving SUV into wedding party
Sixty-five-year-old Hong Xu, who drove her SUV into a crowd of people celebrating a wedding at her next-door neighbour's house in West Vancouver on Aug. 20, 2022, has been sentenced under the Motor Vehicle Act for driving without due care and attention.
Why it's 'very hard' to find work in Canada
Vacancies have steadily fallen since the glut of nearly one million open posts in 2022. At the time, one in three businesses had trouble hiring staff due to a labour shortage. Since then, vacancies have dropped.
Hezbollah hit by a wave of exploding pagers and blames Israel. At least 9 dead, thousands injured
Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs jailed by judge after sex trafficking indictment
Sean 'Diddy' Combs headed to jail Tuesday to await trial in a federal sex trafficking case that accuses him of presiding over a sordid empire of sexual crimes protected by blackmail and shocking acts of violence.
Canucks' Dakota Joshua reveals he is recovering from cancer
Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua revealed Tuesday he underwent cancer treatment over the summer, and will not be ready to play when the team's training camp begins later this week.
Two people charged in murder of Halifax teen; police believe remains have been found
Halifax Regional Police believe Devon Sinclair Marsman, who disappeared in 2022, was the victim of a homicide and two people have now been charged in his death.
What is racketeering? The crime, explained
Sex trafficking, cheating scandals and mob activity may appear very different. But all fall under the broad umbrella of racketeering.
Man from Phoenix, Ariz., missing after truck plunges off Yukon bridge
Whitehorse RCMP say a man from Phoenix, Ariz., is missing after the truck he was travelling in went off a bridge and plunged into the Yukon River.