The team at Resolute’s Thunder Bay (Ontario) sawmill is celebrating an important milestone. On July 16, 2020, the sawmill shipped its four billionth board foot of construction-grade lumber. Since 2003, wood produced in Thunder Bay has been providing solid foundations for homes, renovation projects and other structural applications.
Located on Fort William First Nation land, the facility employs many members of the community and was the first in Canada to work under regulations created by the First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act, which facilitates industrial development with First Nations on their land.
Lumber produced at the sawmill is in part sourced from forests that are certified to at least one internationally recognized forest management standard: Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®). The facility itself is certified to SFI, FSC and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification chain of custody standards, as well as to the ISO 14001 environmental management standard.
In 2018, Resolute invested $11 million to modernize the facility’s planer line and optimize the regions’ sawmill operations.
“This achievement demonstrates how deep Resolute’s roots run in Northwestern Ontario,” said Yves Laflamme, president and chief executive officer. “I am grateful to all of our Thunder Bay sawmill employees. They can take pride in producing a cost-effective, energy-efficient, high-quality building material from an abundant, renewable resource.”
“Our employees work safely every day to produce quality lumber, and I want to thank them for their commitment,” said Terry Ouellet, manager of the sawmill. “I would especially like to acknowledge our longest-standing employees, some of whom were around to see the very first board foot produced in 2003 and are still with us to witness this impressive milestone.”
“It seems like only yesterday that we sat down together to create the partnership for a state-of-the-art sawmill on Fort William First Nation land,” remarked Chief Peter Collins of Fort William First Nation. “Producing four billion board feet of lumber is a great accomplishment for Resolute and Fort William. We are proud of what the sawmill brings to the community.”
Congratulations to the team at our Thunder Bay sawmill for this landmark achievement!
