A northern Vancouver Island entity that turns waste wood into wood chips for the pulp and paper industry is getting a boost from the Province.

The Province provided $149,500 over the past three years to Atli Resources Limited Partnership (Atli Resources LP), which is the forestry arm of the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation, to support the acquisition of a northern Vancouver Island chipping facility: Atli Chip LP, located in Beaver Cove on the territory of the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation. Funding was awarded through FP Innovations, a delivery agent for the Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program and the Indigenous Forestry Program.

Doug Routley, Parliamentary Secretary for Forests, along with Michele Babchuk, MLA for North Island, visited the Atli facility last week.

“The Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program provides opportunities to Indigenous communities like the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation, to expand their involvement in natural-resource management,” Routley said. “I saw firsthand how this program invests in our future by promoting innovation in the forest sector.”

The provincial funding was used to complete a business assessment and develop a plan to lay the foundation for the acquisition of Atli Chip Plant. The funding also supported a study on improving the use of lower-quality timber from the northern parts of Vancouver Island and an engineering project to design a commercial-scale facility for the extraction of tannins from waste hemlock fibre. Tannins are biochemicals used in leather tanning and other applications. This project opens the door to produce new bioproducts using chips as feedstock.

“The acquisition of Atli Chip Plant is a huge win for Atli Resources LP and the north Island as a whole,” said Doug Mosher, CEO of Atli Resources LP and Atli Chip LP. “It will generate revenue to support other initiatives of Atli Resources LP and, ultimately, its owner, the 'Na̱mg̱is Nation, to increase the utilization of waste wood fibre, provide jobs in the community and create training opportunities to build capacity in forest operations and wood processing on northern Vancouver Island.”

Atli Resources LP is a forest company 100% owned by the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation. The Nation, through Atli Resources LP, are majority owners of Atli Chip LP with minority stakes from Wahkash Contracting Ltd. and Paper Excellence, a diversified manufacturer of pulp and paper.

The forest bioeconomy focuses on using un-economic wood, such as leftover bark and shrubs from logging and wildfire debris, to make bioproducts, such as consumer goods and industrial products. The forest bioeconomy is helping shift the forest sector to a waste-free circular economy that fights against climate change, while supporting the CleanBC: Roadmap to 2030.

Quote:

Michele Babchuk, MLA for North Island –

“While addressing the impacts of climate change, the acquisition of Atli Chip LP by the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation will bring greater economic development to northern Vancouver Island. Through collaboration with local and provincial governments, the 'Na̱mg̱is First Nation community is growing B.C.s forest bioeconomy, while supporting job development and forest innovation.”

Quick Facts:

• FP Innovations is a private not-for-profit research and development organization that specializes in the creation of solutions that accelerate the growth of the Canadian forest sector and its affiliated industries to enhance their global competitiveness.
• Atli Chip LP employs approximately seven to 10 people and can process between 250,000 to 350,000 cubic metres of fibre per year from pulp and salvaged logs.
• Since 2019, the Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program has delivered 41 projects with 24 Indigenous communities and organizations around the province.
• The Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program collaborates with Indigenous communities throughout the province to promote community resilience by providing funding to lead the development of a forest bioeconomy.

Learn More:

Read more about Atli Resources LP: https://namgis-edc.ca/about/

Read more about FP Innovations: https://web.fpinnovations.ca/

Learn about how B.C. supports innovation within the forestry sector: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/supporting-innovation/ifbp