Abandoned pulp mill on Vancouver Island demolished
Demolition efforts are underway at a decommissioned pulp mill on the north end of Vancouver Island.
On Wednesday, a controlled implosion brought down the abandoned pulp mill's recovery boiler building in Port Alice, B.C.
Video of the event shows the base of the structure implode before the rest of the building comes tumbling down.
The now-defunct Neucel pulp mill in Port Alice has been a prickly topic for the community since it ceased operation in 2015.
In 2019, the Chinese-owned mill was officially shut down, leaving some workers in the lurch without final severance pay.
After the mill closed, its owners seemingly abandoned the site, forcing the province to step in and hire a contractor to decommission the mill, which was home to multiple environmental hazards.
That too was a sore spot, however, with some local residents saying they should have been hired to complete the job, which they estimated cost more than $10 million.
In February 2020, Port Alice Mayor Kevin Cameron told CTV News he had been told the owners of the mill would be sent a bill for the cleanup, but he said he wasn't confident that would happen, or that they would pay.
With files from Gord Kurbis and Ian Holliday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.

Freeland's green economy spending aimed at competing with U.S. Inflation Reduction Act
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says clean energy and green technology spending may not have been the big-ticket items of the 2023 federal budget if it weren’t for the need to compete with infrastructure spending in the United States.
Federal government capping excise tax on alcohol after outcry
The increase in excise duties on all alcoholic products is being temporarily capped at two per cent starting next month instead of a planned 6.3 per cent increase.
opinion | The gun control debate in America has been silenced
In the wake of another deadly mass shooting in America, that saw children as young as nine years old shot and killed, the gun control debate is going nowhere, writes CTV News political analyst Eric Ham.
Was Stonehenge a giant calendar? New research suggests maybe not
Stonehenge's purpose has long been a mystery, with some researchers proposing that it may have been an ancient solar calendar. But now, new analysis suggests the calendar theory is unsubstantiated.
Kids would rather learn from smart robots than less-smart humans: new study
A new study published by Canadian researchers suggests that kindergarten-age children would rather be taught by a competent robot than an incompetent human.
‘Using waste material makes sense’: Mysterious artist Junko turns trash into giant sculptures
A mysterious, Montreal-based street artist named Junko is generating buzz in Metro Vancouver with futuristic, bug-like sculptures made from old car parts, scrap metal and tossed out shoes.
New research finds subtle brain changes in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s patients
A new peer-reviewed study from the Medical University of South Carolina report in Brain Connectivity has found individualized brain fingerprints which can help diagnose early Alzheimer's disease.
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.