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Visit to the Crofton Mill
Economic Theory 12 students donned hard hats earlier this month for a field trip to the Crofton Mill and an opportunity to learn about the process of making pulp and how it fits into the economy of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and Canada as a whole.
The objective of the trip was for students to look into the mill operations and apply course concepts to their observations. Students were assigned concepts from a predetermined list – such as tariffs, supply and demand, capitalism, unions, comparative advantage, protectionism, and free trade – then after the trip, they contributed their observations to a slide display that they presented to the class.
“We looked around, got an explanation from the employees, and then had a question-and-answer session,” said Grade 12 student Jack H.
Built in 1956, the Crofton Mill produced both pulp and paper until recently. The paper side of the mill was shut down indefinitely earlier this year, but it continues to create pulp, which gets shipped to other locations, where it is made into a variety of products, including toilet paper, tea bags and makeup wipes.
It was an eye-opening experience for the students, who came away with some newfound knowledge about the pulp and paper and forestry industries.
“I always wondered why pulp mills are such a big industry here,” said Jack. “It turns out there’s specific type of tree on Vancouver Island that makes good pulp.”
“They get residual wood chips shipped there from all over Vancouver Island and as far away as California,” added Julia S. “They shred them and reuse them for a bunch of different things.”
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