Nearly a decade after acquiring the former Resolute paper mill in Iroquois Falls, BMI Group is planning to establish a multimodal hub at the site, aimed at stimulating development in the town and through the region.
Dubbed Abitibi Connex, the initiative is looking to leverage the site’s access to road, shipping and rail corridors to draw clients in the resource development, agriculture and food sectors, which would use the former mill site as a logistics hub.
With 144,000 square feet of warehouse space, offices, storage silos, eight loading docks, two rail bays, and 838 hectares of land available for development, the mill site is an attractive option for companies looking to do business in the North, where activity in mineral development and agriculture is gearing up, said John Veldman, BMI’s chief operating officer.
“Canada, especially Ontario, has become a magnet for the world,” Veldman said in an interview. “And so we're seeing a lot more activity and interest in Northern Ontario.”
That renewed interest means the time is right to embark on this project, he added.
After acquiring the mill in 2016, BMI spent considerable time removing equipment and undertaking environmental remediation at the site, which was extensive, given its more than 100 years of operation.
“We spent a tremendous amount of time and money on making sure that all of the remedial action plans were completed, and they are completed,” Veldman said. “So we're very happy that the site is stable and now just under monitoring.”
Town officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment, but in a news release, Mayor Tory Delaurier expressed his support for the project.
"Iroquois Falls is proud to partner with BMI,” Delaurier said in a news release announcing the project. “This innovative use of the mill as a logistics base will attract investment, businesses, and jobs to our community.”
BMI is funding the work with a $20-million investment, which it secured from a Netherlands-based group called the Northland Participation Fund.
The company has also been in talks with Ontario Northland (ON), which has agreed to upgrade 11.5 kilometres of rail line between Porquis Junction and Iroquois Falls.
Although he didn’t have full details on the work required, Veldman said the company has committed to repair and recertify the track, which includes upgrading some track and culverts, upgrades that are in ON’s work plan for 2025.
"We are delighted to support this initiative with track upgrades and look forward to providing BMI's Abitibi Connex with rail services," Chad Evans, Ontario Northland’s CEO, said in the release.
"This investment will enhance connectivity and support economic development for Iroquois Falls and businesses throughout the region."
In the last two years, BMI has been focused on advertising and marketing the site, and holding discussions with various stakeholders, he noted.
Although the site is still undergoing some minor rehabilitation, like painting and cleaning up buildings, Veldman said they’ve listed leasing details online. They're open to various occupancy options, whether an inquiring company is looking to lease space,land or build their own structure.
“The site is ready. The door is open.”
Iroquois Falls is the latest site to get the BMI redevelopment treatment.
Earlier this year, the company announced its plans for a biohub at the former Domtar mill in Espanola, bringing CHAR Technologies on as an early partner, and in 2024 the company forged a partnership with Rock Tech Lithium, which is looking at BMI’s property in Red Rock in northwestern Ontario for a possible lithium refinery.
Veldman said it’s because of BMI’s growing network that it’s able to attract new clients in the rail and transloading areas, Veldman said. The company has had discussions with parties from Europe on critical minerals and how they can purchase them, he added.
But agriculture is also a market that’s ripe for growth, Veldman said.
As land prices rise in southern Ontario, pricing many farmers out of the market, property in the Great Clay Belt — a swath of fertile land stretching through the Temiskaming District — has become a hot spot for producers.
Veldman predicts the region will see an ongoing surge in land development, similar to what its neighbours to the east have experienced.
“If you look on the map, [at] the Quebec border, on the Quebec side, they've really converted a lot of the bush land into farms already,” he said.
“And so I think Ontario is now following suit in a way. So that's moving in the right direction.”
Last summer, BMI launched a new project through one of its subsidiaries, a “field-to-fork food hub company” called O’Clay, running fresh produce up to Moosonee, on the James Bay coast, in a biweekly initiative it calls ‘Food from the North, for the North.’
The company purchases produce from Amish producers in Val Gagné and farmers in southern Ontario and makes the 400-kilometre trip up to Moosonee where it resells the product to local consumers.
Eventually, the intent is to establish a food hub on the Iroquois Falls mill site. Although the capacity isn’t currently available, Veldman said, BMI would like to source all its produce from local producers. He noted the company is open to discussions with other communities that might be interested in similar food services.
All this is coming together under a site master plan, being prepared by J.L. Richards and Associates, which will map out infrastructure and services, and evaluate the site’s potential 50 to 100 years down the road. Once complete, it will be released for public feedback.
“We don't want to dictate what it should be,” said Veldman, noting BMI sees itself as a community builder, guiding the process.
“We'd really like that to be a collaborative process with the different stakeholders in the town and the region.”
For his part, Veldman envisions 10 or more small complementary businesses on the site, similar to what BMI has done with its Niagara property, which it’s establishing as an energy, innovation, manufacturing and cleantech cluster. But BMI would also welcome larger enterprises bringing manufacturing expertise to the site, he added.
There could be potential related to the area’s vast wood fibre, he said, or even an opportunity to build on the area’s well-known natural beauty for additional tourism activities.
It’ll just take a bit of creativity to come up with the right solution.
“BMI is excited. The team is excited,” he said. “We have a really great team locally that is heading this up, and we like the North.”
