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Prince Rupert's Watson Island transformation earns high praise at local government conference

Prince Rupert took ownership of Watson Island following the financial collapse of the Skeena Cellulose pulp mill in 1997, which ultimately resulted in substantial job losses by 2002.
The mill site changed ownership several times before becoming city property in 2009 after a failed tax sale in 2008 and was burdened with significant environmental risks, such as millions of litres of industrial chemicals and two unregulated landfills.
Following a 2013 settlement that cleared land title issues, the city began dismantling the mill in 2015, recycling over 40,000 tons of scrap with a 95 percent recycling rate and repurposing much into Hyundai vehicles.
In 2017, Prince Rupert attracted $300 million in funding to develop a facility for exporting liquefied propane at the location now named Watson Intermodal Trade and Logistics Park, which continues to draw interest from firms specializing in hydrogen production and export.
At the 2025 NCLGA conference, Prince Rupert received enthusiastic recognition for its successful revitalization of a struggling industrial site, demonstrating resilience and providing valuable insights for other resource-dependent communities grappling with economic downturns.

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