BRIISH COLUMBIA (From news reports) -- Interfor is announcing a $35-million improvement project in its Castlegar facility, according to vice-president of western operations Andrew Horahan.

In an interview Friday, Horahan said the project will have immense value for the community.

"We're excited to be starting a project in Castlegar, rebuilding and replacing our planer mill," he said. "It will improve grade, improve value, and improve productivity."

He said extracting further value out of the logs and creating value-added products will make the Castlegar mill a very strong facility for years to come, offering stability for its workforce and the larger community.

This, after 2015 saw a $50-million upgrade project for the sawmill - Horahan said Interfor has every reason to invest in Castlegar operations.

"We've got a really strong workforce in Castlegar, a really strong log supply in Castlegar, and a history of successful projects in Castlegar," he said, adding the facility employs 200 people.

The project is not expected to generate more jobs, but will certainly be a significant boost to the local economy, he said.

Horahan said the engineering for the project will start immediately, with completion anticipated in July 2022.