A vision for the future of the tiskwat mill site in Powell River is being shared by the Tla’amin Nation and the qathet Regional District, with goals to keep it beneficial to the local economy.
The two parties released a joint statement for the site’s future today. According to it, the parties believe that the site’s water and natural resources are vital assets that require responsible management.
They add they both oppose the sale of the property to a party that they do not support. To make sure of this, they say they will look for a clear demonstration that any possible buyer has developed a comprehensive and responsible environmental plan and has confirmed resources to steward the site appropriately.
“Any future owner must fully understand and accept responsibility for ongoing environmental liabilities associated with the site, along with costly remediation and monitoring obligations,” said the statement.
“This is crucial to prevent a future bankruptcy or strategic abandonment of the property, as has happened recently with other former mills in B.C., requiring massive public spending to safely decommission and restore the site.”
The statement adds that local governments want to see renewed economic activities at tiskwat and help replace jobs that were lost when the mill slowed and then stopped production in December 2021. The City of Powell River had relied on tax revenue from the site, and it will continue to be a major part of the regional district and city’s future fiscal plans, they said.
“We are planning for a dynamic set of economic activities at tiskwat, including low-carbon fuel production, value-added forest products, and land-based aquaculture,” said Hegus John Hackett.
“Sustainable businesses can benefit from the site’s unique attributes, such as existing infrastructure, availability of local hydro power, open water access, and proximity to population centres.”
The site also has extensive history with the Tla’amin Nation, going back thousands of years, and they add the Nation’s modern treaty protects their right to a specific claim at the site, which is now formally underway with the Canadian government.
Identified as a location for resource extraction and economic development, the Nation was removed from tiskwat in the late 1800s.
