It took eight years since Resolute Forest Products shut down the paper mill in Iroquois Falls — depriving it of its only industry — for a big announcement.
“Biggest announcement in over 100 years,” Mayor Tory Delaurier proudly brags.
Delaurier helped deliver the news Monday afternoon, that Toronto-area company Due North Housing will be the anchor tenant in a new industrial park on Oil Tank Rd., where it will manufacture modular homes.
It’s expected to create 150 production jobs, not to mention the spin-off effect. Along with the town, Due North will create a new subdivision.
“Those houses will be on the subdivision,” the mayor notes. “There’ll be 150 units behind Calvert St. It’s a former snow dump property.”
Due North expects the industrial park to fill up quickly with other companies that will support its activities.
“They’ll be having other partners come on board,” says Delaurier, “but Due North Housing is moving it forward with this project in Iroquois Falls.” He says there will be provincial and national markets for the modular housing.
The municipality and the company will pursue government funding to help with the infrastructure for the park and the subdivision.
Due North will start construction on its factory in the spring, expecting to go into production within two years of that.
