Redevelopment company buys the idled Espanola paper mill

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 12:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

A spot redevelopment institution has bought the shuttered pulp and insubstantial mill successful Espanola, a twelvemonth and a fractional aft Domtar indefinitely idled the works and chopped 450 jobs.

Tillsonburg-based BMI Group announced the acquisition connected Thursday.

Domtar said it ended operations astatine the mill aft "years of ongoing operating losses and precocious costs associated with maintaining and operating."

In a property release, BMI Group said it's acceptable to commencement "re-futuring" the Espanola mill, a process it describes arsenic retooling infrastructure for caller uses.

The institution said it has successfully done this astatine properties successful Ontario, Quebec and Michigan.

BMI Group was besides progressive successful the redevelopment of the St. Mary's insubstantial mill successful Sault Ste. Marie and presently owns the former Abitibi insubstantial mill successful Iroquois Falls.

"We look guardant to moving intimately with the municipality of Espanola, neighbouring Anishinabek communities, arsenic good arsenic national and provincial governments to recognize the competitory advantages of this singular region," said BMI Group CEO Paul Veldman, successful a quality release.

The Espanola mill inactive has 32 employees who person continued to negociate and support the site.

"The cognition and skills of the radical present are 2nd to none. Their expertise volition beryllium captious successful shaping the adjacent chapter," said Veldman.