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NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: January
26, 2004
Tolko secures additional hardwood
tenure in Alberta
Vernon, BC – At a recent fibre auction held
in Edmonton, Alberta, Tolko was successful in obtaining a forest
license to harvest 247,817 m3 of hardwood tenure.
Rick Huff, Tolko’s General Manager, OSB & Kraft Papers,
says the increased volume obtained at the fibre auction will provide
Tolko with wood supply flexibility for its Alberta OSB operations.
“Over the next few months we will be evaluating a number of
strategic options to utilize this volume along with existing supply
sources at our High Prairie OSB mill and folowing completion of
our recently announced Slave Lake OSB purchase.”
Over the past few months various opportunities for expansion in
northern Alberta had been explored. These discussions were initiated
before the Government had decided to pursue selling the timber by
an open auction. “We had discussions with officials in Fox
Creek and Grande Prairie, and were investigating opportunities for
a potential greenfield operation in one of those communities,”
said Rick. “With the decision by Government to pursue an open
auction, their desire to support the viability of existing facilities,
and with the successful acquisition of the Slave Lake OSB plant
we will now be concentrating our efforts on the options available
to maximize and support the productive capacity of the existing
facilities at Slave Lake and High Prairie.”
Tolko, a BC-based private company, manufactures and markets specialty
forest products to world markets. The Company has lumber operations
in Lavington, Merritt and Quesnel, British Columbia, High Level,
Alberta and The Pas, Manitoba. It also owns a plywood and veneer
plant in Heffley Creek, British Columbia, OSB operations in High
Prairie, Alberta and Meadow Lake Saskatchewan, and a kraft paper
mill in The Pas, Manitoba. With the completion of the purchase from
Weyerhaeuser, the Company will employ over 2400 people.
For more information:
Sheila Catlin
Manager, Communications & Public Relations
Phone: 250-545-4411
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