3

}

On March 20, 1997, I went
with the Air Quality group and
‘other interested folks on a tour
of PG Pulp and Paper. Finally
‘I would see the inner workings

' of one of the major sources of

my respiratory unrest. Having
never been on a mill tour
before, or had much
information on how they
operate except for first hand
experience with some of their
waste. products, I found the

tour very informative and
altogether overwhelming. |
am in need of at least one.
more go-round before Ill
have a reasonable grasp on the
technical aspects of the
processes and equipment that
are used to produce pulp and
paper product. Because of my
incomplete understanding of
the processes and technology
used, [| am not going to
attempt to criticize or condone
any of it in this article on a
technical level. The following
are my impressions and
thoughts as a citizen of Prince
George, who experiences the
mills on some level every day.

Pulp is made out of sawdust
from other mills. Canfor
representatives went over the
technical processes of how
paper and pulp are made, and
elaborated on the types of
technology used in the
process, emphasizing the
amount of money the Canfor
has spent on technology that
has reduced pollution J recent
years ($1.57 million). One
result of this expenditure is
that total particulate emissions
have dropped from 5000 kg/
day in 1989 to 2400 kg/day in
1995. We learned that Canor’s

meena nee ween ete meee eee ee eee eee eee eee

sense of environmental
responsibility extends to the
point of having installed the
same effluent control. In the
seventies that many coastal
mills are just now
implementing. They also tried
chlorine bleaching methods in
1992. Unfortunately, there
wasn’t enough market for the
product, so they discontinued
the trial. The water in the
Fraser River below the mills is

tested once every three years

in conjunction with the
provincial Ministry of
Environment. In 1995, dioxin
and furan levels were not
detectable in many fish. Some
tests are run routinely (once or
twice month) such a toxicity
and daphnia tests. They have
failed four toxicity tests sine
1989, and passed all daphnia
tests since 1992.

Despite these
accomplishments, there are
still many concerns about the
ecological damage done by
mills. For example, while
many chemicals reused and
recycled in the pulp making
process, one tonne of caustic
industrial strength “draino” is
added to the process every
day. The two mills (PG Pulp
and Paper and Intercon) use
150000 cubic meters of water
a day. When this water is
discharged into the Fraser its’
temperature rages from 24
degrees C in the winter to 38
degrees C during summer
months. This hot water
contains concentrations of
organochlorides, solid wastes,
ad other chemicals.
Organochlorides
bioaccumulate, and it is not

<~

known how long they last in
the environment, or what their
long term effects are. Solid
wastes use oxygen when they
decompose - this means less
oxygen for aquatic life. All of
the environmental effects of
chemicals in mill effluent are
not yet understood. Canfor
representatives stated that
there are no upgrades planned
for effluent technology
because changes could result in
increasing
their solid
waste by four
to five times,
and an
increased
concentration
of chemicals
; in the
production
|process
jwould
=| corrode the
= machinery.
Thousands of
— kilograms of
pollutants
such as particulates, total
reduced sulphur, and sulphur
dioxide are still being spewed
into the Prince George Airshed
every day While living in the
Bowl, I’m still getting sick
with coughs, colds, and
headaches far more frequently
than | ever have in my life
living elsewhere:

More” environmental
upgrades cost big bucks, costs
which Canfor may not be
willing or able to incur. It is no
secret that the forest industry
is experiencing economic woe.
Canfor has been losing money
every other year throughout
the nineties. Bill Hellyer felt
that this was in part due to
extra costs because of the
forest practices code and what
he terms “high” stumpage fees.
He cited upcoming zero AOX
(chlorinated organic
compounds) regulations as
another environmental demand
made by society that might
have severe economic
implications for industry.
Several times throughout the
tour, Bill urged us to “think
about what you’re asking and
expecting of society” and to
explore the consequences for
society if those demands and

Page 9 — Over The Edge — April 14, 1997

expectations are met. He
emphasized his perception that
Prince George is dependent
upon the mills for economic
health, and hinted around the
fact that if the cost of business
gets too high in BC, the mills
may take their business
elsewhere.

In order to save money, Canfor
has implemented a fair amount
of labour saving technology in
the past fifteen years. So much
in fact, that one thrd of the 1982
workforce has been cut (1200
emp!oyed by PG Pulp and Paper
and Intrcon in 1982, 800
employed between the two mills
in 1997). During the same time
period, production’ has
increased at each mill by 100
tonnes per day. Bill Hellyer
stated that Canfor would
continue to implement labour
saving technology if it saved the
company money.

This raises some interesting
‘questions with possibly
unhappy implications. If Price
George is dependent upon the
wealth generated by ills, what
happens as more and more
people lose their jobs there?
What happens f indeed the cost
of doing business in BC
becomes too high and Canfor
packs up and leaves? Where
does that leave this community?
1 must further question the
extent to which Canfor is
interested in generating wealth

and stability in Prince George _
if they are more willing t

open up shop someplace witl

low employment anc

environmental standards thai

to be responsible to the

community in BC where they

have operated for thirty odd
years.

I considered Bill's question
about what I’m asking and
expecting of society and what
the consequences for society il
those demands and
expectations are met. My
expectations of my society
include many, many things
that are not currently being
met. These include, being just.
not participating in or
supporting genocidal
situations at home and around
the world, providing adequate
food, clothing, shelter. and
education for all people. being
environmentally sane, not

‘allowing ourselves to become

dependent upon large industry
and outside interest for our
community survival, and being
creative and resourceful
enough to get ourselves out of
dependence on unsustainable
industries. If these
expectations were met, the
consequences would be
innumerable -but add up to a
dramatic switch in my lifestyle
and in the society around me.
I'm looking forward to it!

Photo (Above): Inside Canfor! UNBC professor Todd
Whitcombe, Jenny Biem, Marylene Jules, Jen Lupichuk and Bill
Hellier look into the prep bins (lots of goop in there)

Photos by Catherine Kendall

OCS ATLL TN TERE SN eS |