Residents anxious for word on Terrace Bay mill
Mayor Mike King says people who once worked for the pulp mill are hopeful the mill's restart will provide long-term stability
The waiting continues as Terrace Bay residents hope the town's idle pulp mill might start-up once again with a new owner — the Mumbai, India-based Aditya Burla Group.
Workers have been out of a job for the past eight months, but recently started thinking they might get to work for the global textile giant.
Those plans are now on hold as a Chinese company tries to make its own case for taking over the mill.
The mayor of Terrace Bay said people are eager to see the mill restarted as soon as possible.
"We just really need to see this pulp mill restarted, not just for our community, but for a really large area including many communities around us that supply this [mill]," Mike King said.
He noted people are pleased with the plans to convert the mill to produce rayon, as it would have a long-term future which could bring stability back to the community.
A spokesperson for the Steelworkers, the union that represents workers at the mill, was told it could be a week before a Toronto judge releases a decision on whether or not to approve the sale of the mill to the Indian company.
"This has been a pretty long process," King said. "The mill has been shut down and everyone [has been] laid off for the past eight months. So they certainly are anxious to see the purchase agreement finalized and approved by the courts."
He said the community has been "adversely impacted for a number of years … over the problems with the world economy and the forest industry … People are really looking forward to getting some stability back, and [to] a bright future."