Prince Albert pulp mill being dismantled

Any hopes that Prince Albert's massive pulp mill might be revived are going to pieces — the mill is being dismantled and taken away.

Montreal-based Domtar announced Monday that it will remove machinery and equipment from the site. It's going to hire a demolition contractor and file for a demolition permit.

The Prince Albert pulp and paper mill, formerly operated by Weyerhaeuser, was permanently closed in 2006, putting some 700 people out of work.

Domtar said the dismantling of the paper-making and converting equipment was completed in 2008 and the dismantling of the remaining assets is expected to start in early 2010.

As a result, the community is once again trying to figure out its next move. The pulp and paper complex was once the biggest private employer in the city of 34,000.

There had been hopes in Prince Albert that a new owner might be found for the pulp plant, but now that doesn't look likely.

Still, although it's another bit of hard news for a city that once thrived on timber, Mayor Jim Scarrow says he doesn't think this will be the end of Prince Albert's connection to the forest.

"I believe there's a great forest industry in our future," he said.