Tembec has sold its Mattawa sawmill for one dollar

Tembec's permanently closed sawmill in Mattawa, Ontario, along with its 55 hectare site, has been sold to the Mattawa Bonfield Economic Development Corp. for $1

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By DAVE DALE, THE NUGGET

Tembec's permanently closed sawmill in Mattawa, Ontario, along with its 55 hectare site, has been sold to the Mattawa Bonfield Economic Development Corp. for $1.

The Development Corporation plans to advertise the site as a turn-key manufacturing facility or multi-enterprise industrial park with hopes of regaining some of the 500 jobs lost in the area in recent years.

When Tembec idled the operation, the tax rate on the property went from $154,000 down to $19,000.

The Development Corp. has been negotiating with Tembec on other details of the sale. Papineau-Cameron Mayor Robert Corriveau said Tembec was very generous on accepting the $1 offer. The two parties are still negotiating the sale of key pieces of modern equipment.

It took about nine months of negotiation to get to this point, Corriveau said, referring to how the beleaguered forest products giant had scheduled demolition of the offices and work spaces for April.

We felt Tembec owed something to the community . . . they were receptive but tough to deal with, Corriveau said. We told them right away that $1 was the price we wanted and they didnt kick us out, which I thought was a good sign.

Tembec wouldnt part with property it owns south of Highway 17 because it uses the approximate 20-hectare site for sorting logs and storage.

Corriveau said they hope to find at least one major tenant before winter because theres a cost to maintain the facility, such as hydro, insurance and property taxes, although its expected volunteers will help in some areas.

Additional Information

Web Site: http://nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1723506

Category: Forestry>Mill News

Region: Ontario, Canada

Ad Running: 9/5/2009-10/5/2011

Ad Posted: 9/5/2009 11:07:50 AM

Ad Viewed: 923 times

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