The closure of the Cascades paper mill in Trenton will affect not only the employees and suppliers but the City of Quinte West as well.
In a report to Quinte West council Wednesday, CAO David Clazie said the city could lose around $263,000 a year in taxes if the almost century-old plant remains vacant. Also, Cascades was a major water/sewer customer which at last count was paying the city $850,000 a year for the services or almost five per cent of revenues.
Clazie says exact effects of the closure on the city aren’t known but expects that tax and water/sewer rates will be affected for at least the next couple of years.
The report also states that any industrial redevelopment on the site, other than another paper mill, would require an environmental assessment and some remediation.
A major and expensive cleanup on the site would have to occur if the property were to be used for residential or commercial purposes as paper mills are known to produce toxic waste.
Meanwhile, the Belleville Cascades operation is also closing and all 230 Quinte region employees are receiving assistance from the federal and provincial governments, the respective cities, and the company itself.
