A long overdue investigation into elevated cancer rates among residents living near a former wood treatment plant in northeast Edmonton is expected to be released this year. The investigation began in the Homesteader neighbourhood after a preliminary health study released in 2019 found that residents living near the site of a former Domtar plant had elevated rates of cancer. According to Alberta Health officials, the results of the epidemiological investigation should be published in 2025, more than five years after it was due to be made public. It’s the first clear timeline provided by the provincial government about the health study in years — as cleanup of contaminated lands is deemed complete, clearing the way for new residential development where the wood treatment plant once stood. …The plant operated from 1924 until 1987, using toxic preservatives such as creosote to treat railway ties, telephone poles and other wood products.