Notes from the Rotary Meeting 12.30pm Thursday, July 30, 2026.
President Olaf chaired the meeting and welcomed Rotarians and guests Leslie Lundrigan, Joanne Rowe, Jeff Martin, and Maureen Murphy
Guest Speaker:
After lunch Olaf introduced the guest presenter Rotarian Jackie Chow who is the Community and Stakeholder Advisor for the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper (Kruger) Project Tuckamore. Jackie’s role is to manage relationships with regional, public and indigenous stakeholders from the new Project Tuckamore Community Engagement Office based in Corner Brook.
As Jackie explained Kruger is a fourth-generation company with over 6000 employees with 19 manufacturing and production options. Kruger plans to invest in the future of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, (CBPP) with a major revitalisation project, Project Tuckamore which will extend the life of the mill and CBPP will become a modern, competitive and sustainable fibre-based producer,
Jackie used power point slides to help clarify her points as she explained about Project Tuckamore. This project will combine forestry, the mill site, a wind farm and hydro generation.
She began by looking at the reasons for this $700 - million industrial revitalization
as continued dependence on primarily paper production is not viable for the future, thus a transformable business model was needed – hence Project Tuckamore.
This project aims to transition the CBPP mill into an integrated energy and industrial hub by combining sustainable forestry, industrial modernization, and renewable wind energy.
From a forestry perspective - The pulpwood which is now cut to 8 feet length will be harvested to full tree length. This will be delivered to sawmills with only chips and biomass going to the mill for paper production. At the mill, there will be an improved chip receiving area and a biomass drying facility will be installed that will eliminate oil usage. The paper making will be supported by variable power from the windfarm and mill cogeneration. The Mount Bernard tank farm will be removed resulting in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
A windfarm will be constructed within the CBPP active harvesting limits. Jackie spent time speaking about the windfarm which will be located southwest of Corner Brook, 8km southwest of PInchgut Lake in an area already used for forestry with existing road access. The individual turbines will be chosen based on regulations, human and environmental factors. There will be a refurbishment of Deer Lake Power and Watson’s Brook hydroelectric facilities including penstock replacement and conversion to 60 cycle power with upgrade to control systems.
This strategic project for the province is one that will strengthen the province’s energy capacity while securing the long-term future of forestry and manufacturing. During construction there will be 575 full-time equivalent jobs with over $50 million in local economic impact, 1000 direct jobs. It will sustain and support the growth of provincial sawmills and add reliable power capacity to support future economic growth.
Throughout her presentation and at the end, Jackie answered many questions before she was thanked by Olaf on behalf of the club.
