The area director in Vavenby says the community is still asking for more money from Canfor as a legacy fund.

Carol Schaffer says the company offered Vavenby $25,000, but she says $200,000 is what her community deserves.

“We’re the ones who have really put up with a lot from the mill. We had 75-100 trucks coming through each day, so the road got worn. The railroad track, the crossing has been replaced two or three times… Many other things,” Schaffer says, adding the community has had to invest in mitigating concerns from dust from the mill as well.

She calls the $200,000-dollar request  “a drop in the bucket” for Canfor, which sold its cutting rights to Interfor this year for $60 million.

“They offered Clearwater $200,000 dollars. They offered United Way $150,000 dollars. Subsequently, they’ve given a tenure to the Simpcw First Nation and to the Wells Gray Community Forest. And left us at $25,000 dollars,” Schaffer says.

“They’ve used our utilities, so we want them as corporate citizens to invest in our community.”

She says $200,000 would go to upgrading services that Canfor used when its mill was open, namely the community’s water system and the local fire department.

“So that $100,000 can go to our water system, because we’re going to have to put in a water filtration system which will cost $4 million dollars. And the old part of the fire department that was built by the residents of Vavenby is deteriorating and it needs to be replaced. So that’s where the other $100,000 dollars would go.

Canfor closed its mill in Vavenby last summer after operating it for 15 years. There has been a continuously-operated mill at the property on McCorvie Road since 1952.

“The community of Vavenby is not asking for all their profits. All we’re asking for is a small investment into a community that you made significant profits from and that you left behind. And we feel Vavenby has served them well since 2004.”