Tolko Industries Ltd. hasn’t exactly announced expansion, or upgrade, or modernization of its Slave Lake oriented strandboard mill, but it is talking about it. On Dec. 2 the company issued a news release stating that a $220 million modernization of the Slave Lake mill, “is our number one capital priority.”
The announcement follows a review of Tolko’s Alberta assets, through which the company identified various development opportunities.
“The focus for Tolko is turning to its oriented strandboard operations in High Prairie and Slave Lake, now that the enhancement of its lumber mill in High Level is underway. The High Level mill is currently in the first phase of a three-phase, $65 million expansion.”
The plan for the Slave Lake OSB mill is “to make the operations there world scale,” says Tolko General Manager of OSB Rick Huff.
The current mill – which Tolko purchased from Weyerhaeuser nine months ago – is old and small and can’t handle all the wood available from the associated Tolko woodlands. The recent announcement confirms Tolko’s earlier assertion that it was buying the Slave Lake operation with the intention of making it, ‘world class.’ Exactly what that means, where the new facility will be located and when construction will begin are details Tolko did not release.
Tolko is also considering ‘value-added opportunities’ at its High Prairie OSB mill. Huff says the opportunities depend on attaining additional wood supply.
Tolko says it employs 630 people in Alberta, with that number increasing to 1,800 in peak harvesting season. Tolko is a family-owned company based in Vernon, B.C.

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