Outaouais Operations
In 1926, C.I.P. (Canadian International Paper Company) built the Gatineau newsprint mill on the Ottawa River and the Gatineau River in Quebec. From then on, thousands of workers flocked to the mill, and many of them settled nearby. In 1933, their settlement became the village of Gatineau, which became the City of Gatineau in 1946. In 2012, it celebrated the 10th anniversary of the amalgamation of the cities of Aylmer, Buckingham, Hull, Masson-Angers and Gatineau, and of the Communauté urbaine de l’Outaouais. Even though the Gatineau paper mill has changed its name several times during its history, it restarted its operations in 2013 as part of Resolute Forest Products. It now employs 124 people and, in addition to newsprint, produces 15 MWh of electricity from cogeneration, which it sells to Hydro-Québec. In this way, it generates additional revenue, reduces its production costs and enhances its competitiveness. The Maniwaki sawmill, located in the Outaouais region, employs more than 120 people. Its output is destined for the overseas export market and the North American market.
Northwestern Ontario Operations
Resolute Forest Products’ three sawmills, wood pellet plant and woodlands operations make it one of the largest forest products companies in Ontario. The company’s investments in the region over the past three years have increased production capacity by 50 million board feet annually, building on the successful integration of its Atikokan, Ignace and Thunder Bay network of sawmills. In partnership with Fort William First Nation, the company’s $17 million investment in the Thunder Bay facility in 2021 included $5.6 million to replace the unstacking system at its planer mill. Resolute’s $62 million investment to build a sawmill just east of Atikokan in 2015 gave a major financial boost to this Northwestern Ontario community, creating 100 jobs. The company also invested $30 million in 2004 to completely rebuild the Ignace stud mill, and in 2014 launched a new wood pellet plant at the Thunder Bay sawmill with a $9 million investment. Resolute has a 10-year agreement to supply 45,000 metric tons of wood pellets a year to an Ontario Power Generation plant in Atikokan.
Abitibi and Nord-du-Québec Woodlands
Resolute is well established in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region thanks to its wood harvesting and processing activities. In 2021, Resolute announced an investment of $36 million to modernize equipment at the Senneterre sawmill in Quebec, which will improve the overall efficiency and productivity of its facilities in the region. The investment includes the purchase of a new planer and automated sorting bins. In the spring of 2022, Resolute also announced the purchase of a 34.5-megawatt thermal power plant adjacent to its Senneterre sawmill. With this plant, Resolute will maximize the use of biomass from its regional facilities to generate green energy and create a platform for growth and increased competitiveness in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. The Comtois and Senneterre sawmills, respectively, employ 79 and 166 people, and have an annual production capacity of 134 and 172 million board feet of lumber. The Amos paper mill, built in 1982, is located two kilometres from the Harricana River in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, one of the longest waterways in Canada. It was the first mill in the world to produce newsprint exclusively from thermomechanical pulp. Hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis and the decline in demand for paper in the markets it serves, the mill had to suspend its operations for an indefinite period on April 23, 2020.
Glenwood Mill
Glenwood sawmill produces southern yellow pine dimensional lumber as well as radius edge decking used by the construction industry in the Southcentral United States. The mill is well positioned for growth, in proximity to some of the markets with the highest population growth in the country.
