WINTER GAMES: Tabor Mountain getting a facelift A5 Wednesday, September 19, 2012
COPE members on strike at ICBC claim centre in Prince George A3
Newsline 250-564-0005
www.pgfreepress.com Kiwanis Book Sale
Oliver Naphtali, 3, reads to his dad, Corey, from one of the many children’s books to be found Sunday at the Kiwanis Book Sale at the Save-onFoods location in College Heights. The two-day fundraiser was a great success. Te re s a M A LLA M / Fre e Pre s s
■ Burns Lake Mill
Hampton to rebuild, if timber secured DeLynda Pilon
newsroom@pgfreepress.com
Hampton Affiliates will rebuild its Babine sawmill in Burns Lake as long as the timber supply can be guaranteed. The mill was destroyed in January following a fire, leaving two men dead, 19 injured, and a community in shock with it’s major employer closed. Steve Zika, CEO of the company, joined several dignitaries Monday to make the announcement.
“There is no way to reverse the terrible tragedy that occurred that fateful night and killed two of our workers and forever altered the life of everyone in Burns Lake,” he said. However, rebuilding the mill will help restore economic vitality to the town, he added. Rebuilding, he said, was not an easy decision, with the timber supply in question, mainly due to the destruction caused in the province’s forests by the mountain pine beetle. A few steps that must happen before
have state-of-the-art technology and have its doors open for business early early in 2014. The older mill put out about 350 million board feet. The newer mill will produce about two-thirds of that. It is expected to run two shifts and will employ anywhere from 50 per cent to two-thirds of the original mill. that side. “This is a substantial investment. This is taking a significant amount of risk,” MLA Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Development.
the board’s next meeting in December, when it will make the final decision to rebuild, include working out a satisfactory timber supply agreement with the B.C. government, First Nations and the Burns Lake community forest. Then an operating agreement must be put in place with the United Steelworkers Union. Currently Hampton is proceeding with engineering, site preparation and equipment selection. If all goes as planned, the new Babine mill will be smaller than the last, but
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