Latest news with #CornerBrook
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Kruger plans to invest $700 million in the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill
The Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill started operations in 1925. As it celebrates 100 years, the current owner is investing $700 million in new ways to keep the mill viable amid today's rocky newsprint industry. The CBC's Colleen Connors has the details.
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Kruger celebrates Corner Brook paper mill's 100th anniversary with $700M investment plan
The only pulp and paper mill in Newfoundland and Labrador is celebrating its centennial this week, opening its doors to some residents for the very first time. The Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill began operating in 1925 and is intertwined with the history of its home city, which was originally developed to house its employees. The project cost a whopping $45 million then. "The mill itself … was a part of the beginnings of Corner Brook," said Darren Pelley, vice-president of special projects with Kruger Inc., the company that owns the mill. He described a sense of pride he felt from the community that found their livelihoods in the mill. "It's exciting now to open the doors [and let] people come in, see the operation as we get ready to embark upon the next phase of our future," Pelley continued to tell CBC News during an open house on Friday. Some Corner Brook residents, like Sherry George, were in awe at the tour. "I mean, Corner Brook exists because of this mill," she said. "And 100 years in operation is amazing considering it's a newsprint mill." Modernizing the future Not all of those 100 years have been easy. The demand for newsprint continues to dwindle, and Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. has seen the effects of tariffs, several shutdowns, and had to be bailed out by the provincial government more than once in recent years. Kruger has a power purchase agreement with the province, and is still paying back a $110-million loan it signed with the government in 2014. The company announced Thursday that it plans to invest $700 million in stabilizing the mill. Pelley says that investment puts Kruger in a position to pay back the loan and to finance an ambitious three-year vision. "This will really change everything from our forest operations all the way through to our paper making," said Pelley. That will look like changing gears to focus on lumber production to provide to sawmills in the province, and replacing the log-filled wood yard with chips. The pulp and paper mill employs about 400 people, but future developments open the door to more jobs and training in existing positions, according to Pelley. Pelley also said Kruger plans on developing a wind farm to power the mill. All of those changes can start after environmental assessments are done. "We'll still be papermakers, but we're going to have a lot of change to make us more agile and nimble," said Pelley.
CBC
7 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Team N.L.'s beach volleyball athletes are ready to showcase their skill in the sand
Athletes competing in beach volleyball at the Canada Games have been training every day on the court and in the gym, and have been putting serious work in on Corner Brook's beach volleyball courts. That's where the CBC's Colleen Connors met up with the athletes ahead of their competition in August.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oncologist hires may 'finish the battle for radiation' in Corner Brook, says advocate
Cancer patients on the west coast of Newfoundland will soon be able to receive radiation therapy closer to home. On Friday the Newfoundland and Labrador government announced two radiation oncologists have been recruited to work at the Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook. Gerald Parsons, who has been fighting for better cancer care on the west coast for decades as co-chair of the Western Regional Hospital Action Committee, said he'll be pleased as soon as the first oncologist starts work. "Hopefully this will finish the battle for radiation," he told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. Years ago he had no choice but to take his wife to St. John's for cancer treatment and said radiation services in Corner Brook would have made a world of difference. WATCH | Radiation in Corner Brook means west coast families can stay close to home: "They say one of the biggest healing processes with cancer is having family around you," he said. "We spent five weeks in St. John's at a hotel." For Parsons, radiation services on the west coast has been a long time coming. "It's been a year since [the Western Memorial Regional Hospital] opened up and the service is still not there. All the equipment is here," said Parsons. In Friday's statement, the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services said the two oncologists will start work in the summer and fall, and radiation oncology services will be rolled out in three phases. The ongoing first phase provides CT simulations to eligible patients for radiation planning purposes. Phase two is hoped to begin in late August and include consultations and follow-up appointments in Corner Brook. The third and final phase of the radiation service roll-out "includes radiation services beginning and continuing to scale up as recruitment and onboarding of specialized staff progresses," said the statement. Parsons said the announcement is a step closer to his ultimate goal of better health-care services in western Newfoundland. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
20-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Oncologist hires may 'finish the battle for radiation' in Corner Brook, says advocate
Cancer patients on the west coast of Newfoundland will soon be able to receive radiation therapy closer to home. On Friday the Newfoundland and Labrador government announced two radiation oncologists have been recruited to work at the Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook. Gerald Parsons, who has been fighting for better cancer care on the west coast for decades as co-chair of the Western Regional Hospital Action Committee, said he'll be pleased as soon as the first oncologist starts work. "Hopefully this will finish the battle for radiation," he told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. Years ago he had no choice but to take his wife to St. John's for cancer treatment and said radiation services in Corner Brook would have made a world of difference. WATCH | Radiation in Corner Brook means west coast families can stay close to home: N.L. finds its health staff for radiation unit in Corner Brook 5 days ago The wait for radiation treatment in Corner Brook has been a long fight for people like Gerald Parsons. The opening of the new Western Memorial Regional Hospital came with the promise of on-site radiation, but not the professionals to staff it. Now, the province has announced, two new radiation oncologists have been recruited with treatment expected to begin in the fall. "They say one of the biggest healing processes with cancer is having family around you," he said. "We spent five weeks in St. John's at a hotel." For Parsons, radiation services on the west coast has been a long time coming. "It's been a year since [the Western Memorial Regional Hospital] opened up and the service is still not there. All the equipment is here," said Parsons. In Friday's statement, the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services said the two oncologists will start work in the summer and fall, and radiation oncology services will be rolled out in three phases. The ongoing first phase provides CT simulations to eligible patients for radiation planning purposes. Phase two is hoped to begin in late August and include consultations and follow-up appointments in Corner Brook. The third and final phase of the radiation service roll-out "includes radiation services beginning and continuing to scale up as recruitment and onboarding of specialized staff progresses," said the statement. Parsons said the announcement is a step closer to his ultimate goal of better health-care services in western Newfoundland.
