By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: Nov. 17, 2012
A US based company is looking for a 320,000 sq-ft or at least 50 acres of industrial space to set up a manufacturing plant that would generate 180 full-time, well-paid jobs.
And it’s eyeing Squamish.
EnerTech, a waste-to-energy company based in Fishers, Indiana, is working on behalf of yet unnamed companies looking to set up a high-grade carbon pellet manufacturing plant, among nine other products.
“These are stellar companies and our job is to find the location, and make sure there is enough feed stock, good location and transportation facilities available, said Tim Powell, principal of he said.
Squamish’s geographical location, with its easy availability of raw wood products, a port, and the ease of export to Japan and China gives it an edge.
The project is at the Research and Development stage, nothing has been finalised yet, but the proponents are giving Squamish a good hard look.
“We are testing the markets, but obviously we will follow the path of least resistance,” said Tom Powell, the principal at EnerTech.
It was Google Earth that first brought Squamish to his notice.
This August, as he looked around for places to set the plant, his connections to Seattle also made him look at Canada.
Exploring Google Earth, he looked closely at the inlet closest to Vancouver, and centred on Squamish.
“When I zoomed in and saw the buildings and the logs, it looked like home to me,” he said.
Powell said the companies he is working for have looked at the forestry industry in Canada and Michigan, where the raw material is readily available, but exports can be a challenge.
“It just makes more sense to go the West Coast with this,” he said.
After spotting Squamish, he made a random call to realtors in Squamish.
Michael Tremblay of Blacktusk Realty picked up the phone.
A month later, Tremblay is helping Powell locate an appropriate spot in Squamish.
“We are looking at the BCR North Yard at this point,” he said.
Tremblay is also working with the district to find a way to bring the project to Squamish.
EnerTech is also looking at other communities in B.C., including Campbell River, Port Alberni, and Ladysmith, etc.
“I believe Squamish has the infrastructure in place, with railway, sea port, and the highway. This would be a huge economic boom for our town,” Tremblay said.
Yet, there are many challenges for this to come to Squamish.
US government offers a heavy subsidy based on a volume output, and cities down South can offer heavy incentives, including free land to attract jobs.
In Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, for example, the city owns the site and is willing to throw it into the deal, Powell added.
Dealing with the Crown can be another challenge.
“Here in the US, it’s much easier to bid on the land or forest.”
He said he hopes that Canadian government will match some of the incentives so easily available in the States.
With the right site, and easy supply of raw wood, the plant can produce upwards of 700,000 ton per year, generating 180 full-time jobs.
“Competitive labour rates will be paid to everyone, from managers to the guys sweeping the floor.”
Dave says
This looks like a good, clean, E-friendly idea….Let’s hope it is not squashed like so many proposals have been in the past. We badly need secondary processing of our raw wood, an increased tax base and more jobs without sacrificing the environment.. You “red-tape guys”…back off on this one and give it a chance!!
p says
“An easy supply of raw wood” and land “thrown in to the deal.”
The former is the hitch.
Brad says
I seem to recall being told out on the campaign trail by a number of knowledgeable people that attracting big(ish) industry was a near impossibility due to the number of towns chasing a small pool of investment, and that Squamish’s industrial days were largely behind us. 🙂 I would point to our unique harbour/rail/road access but to no avail.
I advocated not only chasing these investments but also having a prepackaged plan put together (land, transportation expansion plans, possible partnership with Squamish First Nation etc.) so that a potential investor would have an immediate picture of where they could set up shop and how we could expand infrastructure to accommodate them. I am glad they have gotten in touch with Mike Tremblay, who is one of the best salespeople I know out there, but it would have been nice to have the District leading the charge here.
Mike don’t let the DoS muff this one up. If they aren’t immediately in line to help make it happen, I would ask Squamish First Nation if they’re interested. They are very savvy about these things. I’d love to see someone, anyone, in this immediate area get those jobs.
Eric Andersen says
Other interests besides this Indiana company have explored and are exploring similar ideas around bring Interior wood fibre to Squamish for shipping and/ or processing. The infrastructure and position of Squamish for this are unique, and this isn’t going to change unless we would cut new passes elsewhere for rail corridors through the Coast mountains.
This rail corridor is already the busiest in the world for shipping wood pellets.
Supply of raw wood is not the “hitch”. Especially low grade wood resources are abundant, in our district and up in the Interior. The hitch is economical transport and handling logistics – and land use and waterfront planning at Squamish.
It is not the case that Squamish would be uncompetitive as an industry location “due to the number of towns chasing …” or that our “industrial days” are behind us. Looking at forest products alone, most of the 125,000 hectares of “working forest” in this district are managed by local companies (including First Nations companies). The available harvest in the nearby “working forests” is projected to be increasing in the longer term. Local processing is a part of forest management. This capability is an essential tool for good forestry.
It comes back to land use and waterfront planning at Squamish. Our valley and waterfront have many constraints. We must plan for industry. It can’t be addressed ad hoc.
Elliot says
This is very irresponsible getting people all excited just so they will be let down again. There have been many similar business “concepts” look at Squamish, many at further stages than this gentleman’s “preliminary” look. Facts in this story already point to out that this idea will never fly here, and nor is it necessarily a good business booster for Squamish. Shorts term thinking prevails in Squamish, as usual. This concept is 50 acres of very low density “jobs to acres” in a town with very short supply of industrial land. To try to use the BCR lands for anything other than value-add light industrial manufacturing (or better) would be great foolishness, nor would BCR release it for the low industrial value this concept requires. And besides, can any one of you point out to me a sprawling 50 acre site that isn’t hills and wouldn’t involve mowing down valuable park or ALR areas?
Michael Tremblay says
Remember, this is in R & D stage only, the District of Squamish will need to be onboard and open to receive a New Heavy Industry that will provide full time jobs. Being a long time resident of Squamish and a past employee from Western Pulp, I can say when the doors closed at all Industry sites BCR, Western Pulp Inc. Interfor Sawmill, Squamish lost a huge tax base the companies were paying annually. I understand our District of Squamish visioned and adopted new ways to rebuild its tax base, by allowing BIg Box Stores to come to our town, and also utilizing CN properties( Formerly BCR Property) for light industrial uses. In my opinion, if a Carbon Pellet Manufacturing facility can fit in our community, and welcomed by our town, then let us open the door to allow it. I understand we need Public Information presentations, and further disscussions with the District of Squamish to see if we are all receptive to a Heavy Industry coming back to Squamish.
Spencer says
Companies from Switzerland, Italy, the United States and Canada have all been looking at locking up fibre supply for bio-energy facilites in the province, but this is much harder to do than they have anticipated. The other “fuel”beta for this technology is garbage, and we are very well situated to receive that feedstock.
I would encourage people to look into the technolgy.
Chris Tamburri says
There are two 50+ acre industial sites that are floundering as an attempt is made to convert them to mixed residential-commercial use .They are the Interfor sawmill site and the sodco lands. Both have water -rail-highway access. Both sites are historicly perfect for industial use.
Perhaps we should give this pellet company the sodco lands for a dollar
and then when they have done 9 million dollars worth of planning
we tell them that there is an attached 40 acre water lot to deal with. The problem is that the sea bottom of the water lot is so polluted with mercury that they need to spend another 6 million dollars to remediate it by putting 140 feet of fill on it to cap the pollution left by a chemical company that “we” let get away scott free.
Elliot says
Michael, of course it is welcomed. It’s just not feasible anymore, as Chris points out correctly.
Once a property is deemed to go residential or commercial, it is lost to industrial and cannot be down-zoned again except at great expense to the District. We have not preserved large heavy industrial sites, look in the OCP. First Nation lands, perhaps, but where. The Cheekeye hazard is quite a vast restriction. Estuary is protected. Park, ALR, and hills all around. Hmmm? Woodfibre for a biomass, likely.