Benjamin Segobaetso – Local Journalism Initiative
Published online August 26, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com
MANSFIELD-ET-PONTEFRACT – A developer is exploring the purchase and redevelopment of the Davidson sawmill site, with plans that could include renewed lumber processing, increased use of local timber and the construction of a cogeneration power plant.
The proposal was presented at the Mansfield-et-Pontefract council meeting, August 13, by Luc Laplante, a spokesperson for the developer going under the name PIRO EV Inc. Laplante told council that the group has been working for several months on plans to restart industrial activity at the Davidson forestry site. The group is considering restarting integrated lumber-processing operations, including drying and planing. The proposed operation would require timber harvested from public forests as well as significant purchases of logs from private woodlots.
The proposal also includes establishing a cogeneration, or COGEN, plant at the site. According to Laplante, the facility would use forestry biomass to produce electricity and heat, as well as biochar. The group is currently conducting research and assessing the environmental requirements associated with the proposed development. He stressed, however, that obtaining community support will be an important condition before the project proceeds. The developer wants to work with municipal council and residents to establish what Laplante described as a “social contract” for the project.
“That’s what we are currently looking for in order to move forward,” he said, adding that the group would walk away from the proposal if it does not receive sufficient
support from the municipality and community.
Laplante said the initial response from council appeared positive but emphasized that broader community acceptance would be necessary before the group moves ahead. The proposed redevelopment could mark a significant return of industrial forestry activity to the Davidson site and potentially create a new market for timber harvested from private forests in the Pontiac.
Current Davidson sawmill owner Bruno St-Cyr told the Pontiac Journal that he and his brother Hubert St-Cyr have decided to sell the operation as they prepare for retirement. St-Cyr said the decision to sell is not the result of poor business conditions. He described the operation as profitable, noting that the price of white pine has increased and that the company currently sells its products in Canadian and European markets. He said he and
his brother believe the time has come to pass the operation on to new ownership.
