The contaminated sediment in the city’s north harbour could be dealt with in the next three to five years.
400,000 cubic metres of mercury-containing sludge was left behind from a former paper mill.
Port Authority CEO Tim Heney explains we could see a new closed-in area built to contain the sludge, similar to a facility currently in place on Mission Bay.
“Covering the material and moving it up to the shoreline and capping it, so they’re basically duplicating the Disposal Facility. The challenges there are around land ownership and meeting with the upland land owners.”
The Port Authority official says there are also some developments happening with the Thunder Bay shipyard.
Heddle Marine is working at ensuring Coast Guard ships will be built at the shipyard and other ports.
“They were some what successful in that effort, and if we do break through in that, there could be considerable jobs in Thunder Bay just through that ship building program. Currently it’s used for ship repairs, it’s not exactly what it was in the old days but it’s a start.”
