The old Canal Flats mill is changing eras and sawing ahead into the age of technology.
A reception area at the mill site was packed with a standing-room-only crowd on Tuesday, June 12th as the co-founders of the Columbia Lake Technology Centre 鈥� a business so new it doesn鈥檛 yet have a website 鈥� revealed their plans to turn the location into a high-tech data hub and training centre.
鈥淲e鈥檙e pulling from the past to the future,鈥� centre co-founder Brian Fry said. He envisions seeing data centres, greenhouses to take advantage of the heat produced by the centres, training facilities, technical training programs and more.
An old mill in the rural interior might not seem like the ideal location for a cutting-edge venture, but Fry said the site has everything they need: lots of space (1,000 acres), lots of power and a fiber optic network that means the centre will be 鈥渁s connected as anywhere in the world.鈥�
Being in a rural area away from other technology centres is irrelevant to the business side of things, he said, adding that 鈥渨e鈥檙e milliseconds from anywhere else in the world.鈥�
The location also comes with the advantages of being near 鈥渢he glorious mountains,鈥� and having access to affordable housing and land to develop, he said.
The mill shut down in 2015. Last year Mr. Fry鈥檚 co-founder, Brian Fehr, purchased the land.
Mr. Fehr chairs BID Group, a multinational corporation. His work has taken him all over rural BC and around the United States with high-tech equipment that makes manufacturing more efficient.
鈥淔or the past 40 years I鈥檝e been in the business of building and improving saw mills,鈥� Mr. Fehr said. 鈥淲e want to give back by creating value and opportunity for the people in rural B.C.鈥�
Premier John Horgan, who used to be a mill worker himself, stopped in Canal Flats to cheer on the initiative.
鈥淲e all know, nobody more so than the people in Canal Flats, that there鈥檚 a transition happening in our forest economy,鈥� he said. 鈥淭echnology, for better or worse, is reducing our ability to have people working in mills.鈥�
The forestry industry continues to thrive, he said, but technology is displacing workers.
It鈥檚 fitting then, that the technology industry is rising up to fill the gap it had a hand in creating in rural areas like Canal Flats.
Over 20 people are already employed at the Columbia Lake Technology Centre site. By the end of the year, Mr. Fehr expects to have 100 people working on location 鈥� just as many as had been employed at the mill.
鈥淭he Columbia Lake Technology Centre is a classic example of how you can take industrial space, you can take access to energy 鈥� which the Kootenay has in abundance 鈥� and create economic opportunity鈥� said Premier Horgan.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e experiencing right here, taking what was a crisis in 2015, and turning it into an extraordinary opportunity just three years later 鈥� because of the work of the community, because of the Trust, because of investors that had a vision 鈥� it鈥檚 just inspiring,鈥� he said.
Mr. Fehr has been impressed by how 鈥渨elcoming and enthusiastic鈥� everyone has been.
You could even say the community offered its support on a platter. When Base Camp Coffee Shop ran out of serving platters to provide trays of treats for the event, the people of Canal Flats opened their cupboards and brought their platters over.
鈥淲hen the mill closed, we were devastated,鈥� Canal Flats Mayor Ute Juras said, admitting that the shutdown brought the community to tears.
She is ready for the opportunities the Columbia Lake Technology Centre envisions.
鈥淚鈥檓 super excited about this new venture and adventure for this tiny little town,鈥� she said.
