A B.C. based business owner has bought the former Canfor Mill property in Vavenby.

Area director Carol Schaffer says a mass timber company called SmartLam, based in the United States, now owns that land.

She says the chairman of the board for SmartLam, Brian Fehr, is from Vanderhoof.

“His company has purchased the land. He’s dismantling things right now, and then he figures it will be a year before he gets something that will go on that property, and create employment.”

The sale price of the property is not clear, but its tax-assessed value is just under $2 million according to BC Assessment.

Schaffer says SmartLam has already donated part of the land to the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, to use for a water filtration system.

“In the future we’re going to need a water filtration system, and we need the land for it as well. And the new owner of the Canfor land has donated 1.6 acres to us. So that will go towards the subdividing and doing everything they need to do to get that piece of land in their name. And also to do improvements in the water system.”

Schafer says the donation means pre-engineering work that has to be done ahead of an application for grant funding to build the new water treatment facility can get underway.

The Vavenby Community Water system – which is fed by the Thompson River – currently provides water to about 250 residents in the community.

The former Canfor Mill in Vavenby was put for sale in the summer of 2019 when the corporation closed it down. It was the largest employer in the North Thompson at the time, employing more than 170 people.