Milestone reached

The chief of Fort William First Nation says the Resolute Forest Product’s sawmill has substantially helped her community grow.

The sawmill first came online in May 2003 and currently employs 170 workers. About 25 of those employees are from Fort William First Nation. With an annual capacity of 300 million board feet of stud lumber, Resolute’ s sawmill is considered one of the largest in Canada.

Fort William First Nation chief Georjann Morriseau said it’s ground breaking to see First Nations and industry working hand-in-hand to grow the economy.

“With Fort William being so engaged in this project over the last 10 years, it has really shown what a First Nation can do,” she said. “The mill is definitely a driver for our economy especially when you’re dealing with business and economic development. We share resources and we share our expertise with one and other. That’s fundamental for any growing First Nation.”

Over the years, the sawmill also became the first facility nationally to operate under the regulations created by the First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act in 2012. The act allowed federal land to operate under provincial status allowing development with First Nations within their communities.

Morriseau said the community sees revenue brought in through Resolute and helps with development. Morriseau wasn’t sure offhand how much the company brings in yearly but called it substantial.

Plans are already underway to expand the sawmill with the construction of a pellet plant.

Richard Garneau, president and chief executive officer of Resolute, said the project could start as early as the fall and up and running by next year. Resolute already has the building so the next step will be to install the equipment.

He said it’s an $8 million investment and expects the plant will create five or six additional jobs. He also suspected that the plant will create jobs in other municipalities such as Atikokan.

“We’re very optimistic about the future,” Garneau said. “There’s going to be less wood available long term but we have the resources here in Northwestern Ontario. The market in the next few years is certainly going to be better than it was for the last five or six years.”