Canfor finds buyer for Taylor pulp mill
Mayor & Council look forward to working with new owners
A year after Canfor closed the Taylor pulp mill for good and put it up for sale, the company announced on Wednesday that it has found a buyer.
Throughout its 35-year life, the Taylor pulp mill, mainly using leftover wastewood chips from nearby sawmills, such as Canfor’s Fort St. John sawmill, cleaned, bleached, dried and baled the chips into pulp destined for a variety of applications, including making paper towel and carboard.
What started out as Fibreco Pulp in 1988, and was purchased by Slocan Forest Products in 1998, had been part of the Canadian Forest Products empire since 2004. However, citing a lack of fibre Canfor permanently closed the bleached chemi-thermomechanical pulp plant at the end of February 2023, following a year of curtailments.
Located on valuable industrial land with access to both rail and road transportation, Canfor and the District of Taylor were hopeful at the time of the closure, that a new purpose could be found for the facility. With that in mind, Canfor put a team in place to provide security, and preserve the facility.
Canfor Pulp president and CEO Kevin Edgson said that he is pleased to have found a new owner for the facility, one “that is committed to repurposing the site and developing a long-term plan which will benefit the community.”
The District of Taylor is also happy to see the site sold and is looking forward to having the new business join the community.
“Mayor and Council are very happy to hear that the Canfor site has a bright future under new ownership,” said Taylor Mayor Brent Taillefer. “While we are not able to share the details yet, we are looking forward to working with the new owners and our citizens can expect to hear more in the coming weeks.”
The site is being sold for $7 million, and closing is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.