After a decade reviving the Mackenzie pulp mill with new investment, Paper Excellence is closing it permanently and putting its investment focus on other operations in British Columbia with better economic prospects. The company is making a $13 million capital investment in its Port Alberni mill to produce higher-value paper products, and is “working towards making a significant capital investment in its Crofton facility,” Paper Excellence said in a statement April 15. It is also restarting one of two paper machines at its Powell River mill in early May. Paper Excellence has extensive holdings in Canada and Brazil, where it grows and processes eucalyptus pulp. Its BC operations include a distribution centre in Surrey and mills at Skookumchuck in the East Kootenay as well as Port Alberni, Crofton, Powell River and Howe Sound, which has operated since 1909.
