NANAIMO — Upwards of 300 contractors tasked with critical local pulp mill upgrades are also injecting life into the hospitality and restaurant sector.  Paul Sadler, CEO of Nanaimo Forest Products, said a 45 day upgrade project began on May 19 to enhance their largest recovery boiler, requiring hundreds of workers.  “We have 250 trades workers, on top of that we’ve hired about 25 to 30 summer students and we’ve hired probably another 50 or more casual people from Nanaimo to help with running our safety programs,” Sadler told NanaimoNewsNOW.  Regular mill operations are expected to resume in early July after the site’s annually scheduled 12-day shutdown occurs.  …Harmac’s prolonged maintenance work is much more substantial than a typical year, which saw planning start two years in advance, Sadler said.  He noted the employee-owned mill backed by several investors has received over $200 million worth of capital upgrades over the past decade.