Kapuskasing, Ontario

4 5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 word of mouth. The company was able to hire new staff in the blink of an eye. Filling these roles quickly in a small town was because individuals from Southern Ontario were now making the town their new home. Companies like Green First Forest Products, working collaboratively with the local government, have significantly impacted the local economy. In the past, creating work that needed skilled labor was difficult. “Green First Forest Products has been great for the community; with only 8,300 people in town, adding 45 jobs is a huge deal. And we’re so glad that, working with the company and community partners, we were able to provide these opportunities,” says Nadeau. Adding this many jobs to a community has many spin-off opportunities in the area. More commercial markets, machine shops, and entrepreneurial possibilities mean more capital available for the locals. With a company the size of Green First Forest Products, it’s more than just the community of Kapuskasing benefiting, as surrounding areas also contribute to and benefit from the company. “The company uses the residual created from logging mills. And to the east and west of Kapuskasing are two more communities with sawmills. Which means the towns of Cochran and Hearst send their residual and chips to the company in our town,” says Dave Plourde,the Mayor of Kapuskasing. Kapuskasing and surrounding towns understand that their forests are their farmlands. You need to look after the land to reap the rewards. For every tree that is cut down, the lumber companies need to plant an additional three trees. This process has been ongoing for a hundred years. Without replacing trees, the paper and logging industry would not be sustainable. Sustaining these forests is not just crucial for the industry but for recreation and so much more. Kapuskasing locals love the trees, most of which are Black Spruce, and know the importance of looking after the forest. And with the migration north to Kapuskasing, demand for housing has spiked along with real estate pricing. “We used to have roughly 30 to 35 houses on the market at a time. In the last year and a half, the average has dropped to 10 to 15, which means we’re now able to invest in new construction projects,” says Nadeau. The town is undergoing a boom in development, with new houses being built, new renovations conducted on homes, an old age home in the works, developments by the local golf course, and fourplex developments. With the addition of the old age home, the local government hopes to create a comfortable, safe KAPUSKAS ING, ON space for the elderly, so young professionals can move into the vacant homes. But this being said, the community had sufficient space for the influx of new residents. “The community was built for a population of 14,000 people. And when the mills were at their peak, production times were good. But with the decline in paper sales, employment also declined. But now, with paper machine startups, we’re seeing those numbers climb again,” says Plourde. Another project on the town’s radar is the addition of an extended care facility, which is being funded by the government. The facility will have 120 beds, and the local government is happy to see it being constructed after lobbying hard for it. The town has something to offer all, young and old, and that also means many recreational facilities. With the boom in development, the town is expanding its offer. Kapuskasing offers a two-pad ice rink, which can host hockey games and figure skating, and recently they’ve just completed the addition of a curling facility. Also, there’s a ski hill and a swimming pool. The facilities have borne fruit in the form of a local inhabitant performing at an Olympic level in athletics. “We’re producing athletes out of our local facilities, which most wouldn’t think possible for a northern community. This shows everyone there is absolutely nothing that we don’t offer here.’”, says Plourde. There is truly an endless amount of outdoor activities available for the Kapuskasing community, which include: cypress trails, skiing