May 16, 2016
ATIKOKAN
Volume 66, Number 28
$150
PROGRESS (Inc. 7¢ HST)
Atikokan-Quetico, Canoeing Capital of Canada
Atikokan plant on target, Wawa lagging
R #40012356
Rentech still losing money on wood pellets M. McKinnon Rentech continues to struggle to work out the bugs at its Wawa operation, so continues to lose money with its move into the industrial wood pellet business. Company present Keith Forman told investors last week that the company had hoped to be producing at 50% of capacity, at least, at Wawa by now. Like at the smaller Atikokan plant, Rentech has had to replace the conveyor system in Wawa, a project which it is tackling in two phases. “While phase one of replacement conveyors are operating well and the plant has at times operated at daily production rates between 40% and 60% of capacity, [it has] not operated at these rates on a sustained basis,” said Forman. “Wawa is currently operating at 20% to 30% of capacity on a weekly basis. The issues holding us back... seem at this point in time to not be related to specific pieces of equipment or to a critical design flaw of the plant. Our production short-comings appear to the product of limited experience operating the plant at higher levels of through-put... We are now experiencing the operational and production issues [we] should have witnessed last year, but for the conveyor problems.” (Quotes from wwwSeekingAlpha.com) He went on to say the Atikokan plant did go through the same kind of start-up challenges, and that's part of the reason Bill Carson, the manager who shepherded it through that period, has moved over to the Wawa operation. Forman said as the company resolves the issues in coming months, it will complete the installation of the new conveyor system at Wawa. It hopes to get to full production there by 2017. “We have days [at the Wawa plant of] 500, 600 tons [of production, days] that are brilliant, and we have shifts that hit nameplate [full capacity production], and then the next shift doesn't hit nameplate. So See ‘Rentech Q1’, page 7
Dozen cases of relief goods sent off M. McKinnon A dozen cases of relief goods were collected here last week by OPSEU and have been forwarded to Fort McMurray and the emergency camps. “All of the items were needed and the community was amazing,” said Susan Bourne, who organized the campaign. Residents dropped off a total of eight cases of goods at the Progress and Ontario government offices, and the Atikokan Native Friendship Centre chipped in four boxes of diapers, tooth brushes, toiletries and powdered formula. The Red Cross has set up a specific fund for those displaced by the Fort McMurray fires. Tax deductible donations may be made at https://donate.red cross.ca/ea-action/action?ea.client. id=1951& ea.campaign.id=50610
Atikokan’s air cadets in a general salute to reviewing officer LtCol R. A. Evans
Air cadets named Northwest's top squadron M. McKinnon Tuesday, Atikokan's 600 Starfighter Royal Canadian Air Cadets were named the top squadron in Northwestern Ontario. “Your squadron might be small, but you are mighty, as we can see,” said Lt Col R. A. Evans, commanding officer of the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Central). The award recognizes the talent, character, and commitment to excellence displayed by the cadets, their command staff, and the community that supports them, she said. Although the squadron this year had just 12 members, they were all extremely active in cadet programs. The squadron continued to make a name for itself at regional and provincial events, winning multiple medals in biathlon, orienteering, marksmanship, and public speaking competitions. Joan Cameron, chair of the NWO committee of the Air Cadet League of Canada, echoed Lt Col Evans' assessment, saying the cadets' “boots and uniforms were immaculate, and your drill excellent”. She also praised the parents and squadron staff for the excellent work they have done fund-raising for a March, 2017, trip to Vimy, France for the cadets. “I'm just amazed at this - I have a list of five pages of activities,” she said. (Actually it was former squadron commander Colin Lindsay, who delivered her speech (stronger voice) while she looked on.) She also noted the district school board recently approved a plan to grant two high school credits for students who complete two six-week summer training programs as cadets. That may help recruitment. Lt Col Evans was appointed to her current position last August, and this was actually her first chance to serve as a ceremonial reviewing officer. A former cadet, she completed the air cadet program in Niagara Falls, and went on to attend Royal Military College (Kingston) and graduated with a baccalaureate in mechanical engineering in 1994. She soon qualified as an aerospace engineer with the Canadian Forces, and her twenty-plus years in the military have
included a wide range of technical responsibilities. She's been a project and/or engineering officer on a variety of Canadian Forces helicopters, including a stint during the CF deployment in Bosnia.
In 2008, Lt Col Evans earned a Masters in Defence Studies, and took over the Air Command Academy at CFB Borden. From 2010-15 she served as chief of See ‘Cadets celebrate’, page 8
The grade 5-6 class from St. Pat's School participated in the planting of a young tree at the Public Library last week, part of their involvement in the Silver Birch Reading program. We caught Arik Van Der Loo, Miguel Ferreira (with Charles Watts hiding behind him), Claude Goodwin, Kaylen Bingham (with the shovel), Noah Durand, Madison Gagne, and Jordan Morrisseau at work. More on the program, page 4