The project scope was to decommission of an existing paper mill in Howe Sound that required careful environmental planning, coordination of several work teams, and a watchful eye on the ever-changing weather.

Located Old Woodfibre Mill Site, 7 kilometres south of Squamish in Howe Sound, VanPile was responsible for decommissioning all existing Old Mill Marine infrastructure including :

• Removal of 3,500+ treated creosote timber piles;
• Removal of 6,500 tons of treated creosote timber;
• Demolition of a warehouse;
• Demolition of concrete docks and pipelines;
• Installation of new outfall.

The project faced many challenges but was still completed within schedule and under budget.

The timeline was very strict as it had to be completed in a single fisheries window and under a very tight budget. Permitting problems had one of two crews shut down for over a month and there was a “Bat window” which delayed warehouse demolition.

VanPile’s crew also faced unforeseen issues when a large storm left 40 workers stranded on site with the access float damaged and unusable.  Coordination of the evacuation and removal of equipment from site took place during 8ft. swells and 65 knot winds.