The Canadian International Paper Plant

The industrial complex of the Canadian International Paper (CIP) in Trois-Rivières was built in 1920.  The addition of two machines, six years later, made it the world’s largest newsprint mill.

At its peak, the CIP had more than 2,000 employees and produced 700 tons of paper a day. The company exported the majority of its newsprint paper, which was used by major American newspapers, like The New York Times.

In the early 1950s, the CIP modernized the Trois-Rivières mill to increase its productivity. As a result of the upgrades done, the company reached speed records. It then became the first mill to use a paper machine producing 600 metres a minute. This means that within 24 hours, the company could produce an 864-kilometre-long paper roll, which is the equivalent of travelling back and forth 3 times between Trois-Rivières and Montreal.

The plant closed its doors in 2000 and almost all of the complex was destroyed in the following years. Only the filter plant was preserved. It was afterwards converted into the Boréalis museum – History Center of the Paper Industry. The museum opened its doors to the public in 2010.

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