As the City of Prince Rupert prepares for demolition and salvage work at the Watson Island pulp mill, Quickload is in the midst of finding a new home for its container stuffing operation.
“We are looking at two sites at the moment, both require some work to accommodate the business, but we are working through the checklist of things that need to be addressed ... one site may require some rezoning issues that would need to be addressed and the other site requires some on-site work to accommodate the business and make it appropriate for lumber,” said Quickload president Matt Holland, noting the company hopes to move “as quickly as we can”.
“They are both zoned for industrial purposes, so in our view there shouldn’t be a residential concern. But consistent with our theme of being good corporate citizens, we want to make sure that any adjustment to zoning that may be required for our business appropriately respects the process of ensuring adjacent communities are satisfied that this is an appropriate use for the property.”
Although the move requires transporting equipment and changes to the routine of shipping customers, Holland said Quickload always knew this day was coming. In fact, it is something he welcomes.
“We have been on Watson Island since 2007 and even before that preparing to open our container examination facility. In that time we have had a couple of different landlords, but it has always been clear to us that that fantastic site, that great resource for Prince Rupert, needed to be demolished, remediated and redeveloped,” he said, adding Quickload and the city are working to accommodate each other’s needs in the situation.
“The city has been a terrific landlord for us and have now said they are going to definitively start the necessary work to demolish, remediate and redevelop the site and if anyone is going to applaud them for that it’s us. We have been on that site for years, we know that site intimately and we think it is time to get on with this.”