canfor axes 300 jobs at prince george pulp and paper mill
forestry giant says lack of residual fibre reason for permanent closure
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canfor pulp is axing 300 jobs at its pulp and paper mill in prince george.
vancouver sun
b.c. forestry company canfor pulp will close the pulp line at its prince george pulp and paper mill, permanently shedding 300 jobs. on wednesday evening, the company stated it was “rightsizing” its “operating footprint” by closing the pulp line, citing a lack of timber. this will lead to a reduction of 280,000 tonnes of market kraft pulp annually, with a planned deadline of march.
the specialty paper facility at the site will continue to operate.
“in recent years, several sawmills have permanently closed in the prince george region due to reductions in the allowable annual cut and challenges accessing cost-competitive fibre,” canfor pulp president kevin edgson said in a statement. “this has had a material impact on the availability of residual fibre for our pulp facilities and we need to rightsize our operating platform. as a result, we have made the very difficult decision to shut down the pulp line at prince george pulp and paper mill.”
b.c. premier david eby said thursday the government is deploying a crisis response team to prince george in an effort to support those people and their families who are losing their jobs.
“this is obviously devastating news for those 300 individuals who have lost their jobs for their families, these are people with mortgages, car payments. it’s an incredibly stressful time for them and for the whole community in prince george.”
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eby says the transition team will help workers losing their jobs with access to benefits the government has established, including training, transition to retirement or other supports.
the shutdown will result in a reduction of 280,000 tonnes of market kraft pulp annually.
last week, canfor said it was extending sawmill curtailments in b.c. due to what it said were continued weak market conditions and a lack of wood.
the vancouver-headquartered company said last month it would implement curtailments, ranging from one to four weeks across its canadian operations.
canfor operates four mills in prince george.
meanwhile on wednesday, interfor corp. said it would reduce lumber production by at least eight per cent of capacity in the first quarter as market uncertainty affects demand.
the burnaby-based forestry company said the move amounts to at least 100 million board feet.
it said it expects to resume its normal production schedule starting in april but will monitor market conditions and adjust plans accordingly.
— with files from the canadian press
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