As B.C. politicians argued in the legislature about the ongoing job losses in the forest industry Monday, Canfor Corp. announced its latest province-wide shutdown of sawmill operations from Christmas to after New YearB次元官网网址檚 Day.

The shutdown is expected to remove 58 million board feet of production, in addition to previously announced curtailments this year, said Stephen Mackie, CanforB次元官网网址檚 senior vice president for Canadian operations.

B次元官网网址淲e deeply regret that our employees have been impacted by multiple curtailments in 2019,B次元官网网址� Mackie said in a statement Monday afternoon. B次元官网网址淲e know it has been a difficult year for our employees, contractors, their families and local communities.B次元官网网址�

All B.C. sawmills will be down from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3, except for the Wynwood specialty mill in the Central Kootenay region, which will close for five days, Mackie said.

The announcement came as Forests Minister Doug Donaldson was being questioned in the legislature about Mosaic Forest ManagementB次元官网网址檚 shutdown of contract logging on Vancouver Island, which took effect Monday. Mosaic began its annual winter shutdown early.

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B次元官网网址淭he temporary curtailment impacts contractors, both union and non-union workers B次元官网网址� approximately 2,000 people B次元官网网址� across the coast,B次元官网网址� Mosaic spokesperson Pam Agnew said, citing B次元官网网址渧ery challenging pricing and market conditions.B次元官网网址�

Mosaic, a partnership of Island Timberlands and Timberwest formed in 2018, adds its curtailment to the five-month strike at Western Forest Products operations on Vancouver Island, which has idled many more logging contractors.

In the B.C. Interior, Tolko Industries announced that its Soda Creek sawmill in the Cariboo is going from four days a week down to three. That adds to a wave of curtailments and closures across the B.C. Interior, due to a combination of low lumber prices, high log costs and a reduction in allowable cut from Crown timber in the wake of beetle infestations.

Since the beginning of November, Tolko has announced the permanent closure of its Kelowna sawmill, and two-week closures at its Armstrong, Heffley Creek, Lake Country, Lavington and White Valley divisions, and its Armstrong plywood plant.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not sure how much more communities like Williams Lake can take,B次元官网网址� said Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett, calling on the NDP government to increase assistance for laid-off workers.

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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