B.C.'s Forests Minister Pat Bell says the Mackenzie pulp mill in the B.C. central Interior could remain shut down for years.

"It does not appear as if there will be any quick sale," Bell told CBC News on Tuesday.

Just last year, Bell was optimistic the new owners, Worthington Properties, would restart the mill, but then the workers threatened to walkout over unpaid wages this past winter.

The government took over the plant to keep it running and prevent the pipes from freezing and releasing dangerous chemicals.

The government is now making plans to remove the dangerous chlorine dioxide from the mill, but the minister is also not giving up on the idea of restarting it.

"I do think that mill has a good opportunity to get up and running," said Bell. "We continue to see a downturn in the pulp sector right now. So very challenging times for the industry, but it is a good mill. It has excellent access to fibre."

Meanwhile, the government is still trying to recover the cost of maintaining the mill from the current owners — but who that is isn't clear, said Bell.

After Worthington Properties bought the mill, ownership was turned over to a company called Worthington Mackenzie. The owner of Worthington Properties, Dan White, resigned as director of the company, leaving the only person listed on the corporate registry of Worthington Mackenzie is someone from Slovenia.

Then in March, the offices of Worthington Properties in Edmonton were stuck by arson, which destroyed many company records.