Canada's largest Arctic Char facility is being constructed in the RM of Rockwood, creating up to 104 jobs, with another 120 expected indirectly.
It’s a $145-million project, with the province contributing $10.75 million to Sapphire Springs, the company spearheading the initiative.
RM of Rockwood Reeve Wes Taplin notes that the project is still in its infancy, but when completed, Arctic char will be bred and raised at the facility located east of Gunton.
“They will go right from egg to processed fillets at the end of the cycle. It’s just being built now. Some of the buildings are up, some are in stages of construction, but it will be a massive facility when it’s finished,” Taplin says.
He highlights the positive impact on the local economy.
“It just adds to Rockwood's diversification. We are mainly an agricultural municipality, but we also have the limestone quarries. Now, with what they call aquaculture, it just puts another egg in the basket for us to be diversified.”
Taplin explains that the project has been in the works for quite some time, dating back to its origins as a provincially owned fish hatchery in the early 1970s.
“Then the province moved away from that, and a producer took over and continued raising fish. Sapphire Springs saw the opportunity, recognized it was the right location, and took it from there.”
He describes the facility as a boom for the municipality, noting that it offers viable job opportunities for anyone in the rural area.
“It’s a boom to our region, it’s value-added, and it creates another entity that will employ people and contribute to what we offer in Rockwood.”
Taplin adds that it’s an example of what can happen when a region keeps an open mind and doesn’t limit itself by saying it can’t take on such projects.
“Be open. Be receptive. Be a problem solver. Go from saying, ‘We can’t do this,’ to ‘We can do that.’ You say that you’re open for business, and people will find you.”
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