Eacom sold the mill on an "as is, where is" basis to B.C.-based Carrier Forest Products for $7.5 million in 2011. Last summer, Premier Brad Wall flew into Big River to announce Carrier would re-establish a mill complex. The sawmill and planer mill development will employ up to 110 people directly when running at capacity and create many more jobs in harvesting, hauling and reforestation, Wall said.
Mill reopening
The mill startup was expected this year, to coincide with the re-opening of the Prince Albert pulp mill, about a 90-minute drive south, but now it is looking more like full operations will start in 2013. The Big River facility will be a major supplier of woodchip feedstock for the Prince Albert mill when it starts up.
Carrier president and CEO Bill Kordyban said, "The Saskatchewan forest industry has a bright future ahead, and Carrier looks forward to being an integral part of it."
"The mayor and community leaders were relentless in their efforts to see a sawmill presence back in Big River," noted Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd, a recognition of a town that has come back from the brink many times before.
"Big River is not dead, for sure," Panter said, which would be success in itself after the last few years. House construction has restarted - albeit less than half-a-dozen homes in the past year - and Panter said there have even been some speculative land deals. Five years ago, Big River was offering lots for free to anyone who would build a house. Today, the city lots are selling for around $15,000.
Recently, the town and surrounding municipality spent money to spruce up signage and waterfront walking trails to get ready for the tourist season. The town was also wired for high-speed broadband.
There are certainly retail opportunities in the town. It has a small grocery store and a few specialty and clothing shops, but most families drive to Prince Albert or Saskatoon (480 kilometres round trip) for serious big-box shopping. Yet, with a new sawmill on the horizon and the fish still biting - you can catch fish from end of the Main Street - little Big River is angling for another century of survival.
from Western Investor March 2012
