During global pandemic, paper produced at northern Manitoba mill in high demand

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/canadian-kraft-paper-the-pas-1.6226462

Surrounded by millions of trees in northern Manitoba is a mill that turns many of those trees into tough, low-cost kraft paper.

But the sights and sounds of the paper mill near The Pas and Opaskwayak Cree Nation nearly ground to a halt for good five years ago. Tolko Industries, the main employer in The Pas, Man., announced in August 2016 that it was shutting down its mill, potentially putting 332 people out of work.

"It was a very tumultuous … very scary time — very uncertain of the future, especially with a young family and being committed to the community," said Brianne Bates, who worked at the mill during that period.

Now, five years later, Bates says the mill is back — and producing a product in high demand during the global pandemic.

The durable kraft paper produced at the Canadian Kraft Paper mill is used in bags for heavy products such as sugar, flour and dog food — and in the delivery boxes that have shown up on millions of doorsteps around the world, as people have increasingly turned to online shopping, particularly during the pandemic.