Marathon has high hopes to redevelop former pulp mill site: Queen's Park signals it's ready to lift environmental roadblocks to reopen brownfield to economic development.

• Date: 01 April 2019
• Author: Ross, Ian

Redeveloping a once-contaminated former pulp plant has been a millstone around the Town of Marathon's neck for years.

But a new provincial government, intent on cutting red tape and regulations, has lifted hopes in the community on the north shore of Lake Superior that wants to start promoting its biggest economic development asset as a business park.

Potential environmental legacy issues have been a roadblock to any new development on the brownfield site.

But the municipality recently received correspondence from Melissa Thomson, assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, indicating that the province favours putting the 100acre, industrially zoned property back into use.

"I've been on this file as long as I've been in Marathon and I think this is the most movement we've seen in the last five years," said town CAO and economic development director Daryl Skworchinski.

"They've...