Sask. government approves wood supply for sawmills in Carrot River, Big River
The Government of Saskatchewan has approved timber allocations for the Dunkley Lumber sawmill in Carrot River and the Carrier Forest Products sawmill in Big River.
Earlier this week, the province also announced timber allocations for an OSB plant and pulp mill, both in the Prince Albert area.
"It's been a great week for the forestry sector in our province," Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said.
"Dunkley's Carrot River mill expansion will lead to significant growth in lumber sales and exports.”
The allocation will support a proposed $100 million expansion of the Carrot River mill.
This will allow the mill to increase production by 75 percent, from 130 million board feet annually to 230 million board feet. With the expansion, the Carrot River mill will have the capacity to process 821,000 cubic meters of softwood timber per year.
"The sawmill will add a second saw line and increase production over five phases of development by the fall of 2023,” said Dunkley Lumber president Rob Novak.
The province estimates the enlargement of the Carrot River mill will create 240 new direct and indirect jobs in northeastern Saskatchewan.
The province also announced an addition to the timber allocation for the Carrier Forest Products sawmill in Big River to produce lumber.
"The increased allocation is the critical piece for us to reach full capacity," Carrier Forest Products President Bill Kordyban said.
The Big River sawmill is the largest of three sawmills in Saskatchewan.
While the province is allocating more timber required for the Big River sawmill project, the majority of timber will be bought by the company from private loggers who have agreements negotiated with Indigenous timber allocation holders and private landowners.
The Ministry of Energy and Resources said a surge in the global market for home construction and renovation materials has increased demand for lumber, oriented strand board and treated wood products.
In 2020, the province recorded a 30 per cent increase in forestry product sales over the previous year, with over $1.1 billion worth of forest products sold.
The government’s growth mandate plans to double the forestry industry by 2030.
The Government of Saskatchewan allocates timber through the Ministry of Energy and Resources under The Forest Resources Management Act.
Do you have a story idea or news tip? Email us.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
What happens after we die? Most Canadians say an afterlife does exist, survey shows
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.