In an operating pulp mill there are radioactive materials on site. The nuclear equipment, which can send a beam of radiation through steel, are used in pulp mills for measuring levels of materials in steel tanks and are kept under strict control and regulation.

The pulp mill in Mackenzie, British Columbia has 28 nuclear devices on site.

When the mill was owned by Pope & Talbot, Pope & Talbot held a license for the radioactive materials.

When they went bankrupt, the company's receiver PricewaterhouseCoopers applied for, and were granted, a license.

When Worthington Properties purchased the mill, they did not apply for a licence.

That prompted the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to advise that, without a licence, the gauges would have to be removed. Without the gauges, the mill would have to shut down.

The provincial government is paying the wages of the 50 employees left on site. Minister of Forests and Range, Pat Bell says the government is now working towards securing a licence for the nuclear materials. Bell said the province does not want to hold the licence and are trying to arrange for a company to hold the licence.

The province of British Columbia is paying nearly a million dollars a month to maintain the idled Mackenzie pulp mill.

Sources:
Nuke Safety Commission Gives Extension to Mackenzie Mill (Opinion 250 News)
Ottawa wants radioactive devices removed (Vancouver Sun)