Western Forest Products has temporarily shut down APD Sawmill in Port Alberni for the next six months, putting more than 100 forestry employees out of work.

Workers were told early last week that the mill would be closing, or curtailed, until the spring due to a lack of wood fibre. A curtailment is different from a permanent closure: it can either mean cutting back on production or closing a mill indefinitely.

Western Forest Products said in a statement to CTV B次元官网网址 that the company B次元官网网址渨ill continue to monitor markets and log availability to determine when we can resume operations.B次元官网网址�

Fifteen employees are still operating the planer until Nov. 17, then they will be looking for employment too, said Glen Cheetham, fourth vice-president for United Steelworkers Union Local 1-1937.

So far, Port AlberniB次元官网网址檚 mill is the only one of the six Western owns on Vancouver Island to be under curtailment. They are not the only mill on the Island to be under temporary shut-down: Paper Excellence announced in early October that paper operations at its Catalyst Crofton mill will be curtailed as of December 2022. Pulp operations will continue.

Cheetham said the Steelworkers union is helping employees find work elsewhere. Because the company didnB次元官网网址檛 give employees written notice of the curtailment, there are no formal meetings between the union and company set up to help employees find work, he explained. The union has signed an agreement with Western until the end of the year for maintenance workers to allow them to work in other mills. Cheetham said the union is hoping to sign a similar agreement for production workers.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 been a few people picked up by San Group. ThereB次元官网网址檚 other workers getting work at other Western mills down Island. That doesnB次元官网网址檛 take care of all of the workers.B次元官网网址�

Cheetham said workers expect brief curtailments during the slow season, usually in January and February, but they werenB次元官网网址檛 expecting to be out of work for six months. B次元官网网址淭hat was a bit of a shock.B次元官网网址�

Cheetham said itB次元官网网址檚 difficult to hear that the company must curtail a sawmill due to lack of product, especially when ships full of raw logs leave Port AlberniB次元官网网址檚 wharf almost weekly. B次元官网网址淲e seem to have log ships parked next to APD every week. They have enough logs coming off private lands yet they canB次元官网网址檛 seem to find enough wood on public land or TFLs to supply the mills in this province,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淪o it gets a little on the frustrating side.B次元官网网址�

While the union is busy trying to ensure workers stay employed, Cheetham said the ultimate wish would be to see Western make a financial commitment to keep APD Sawmill open.

B次元官网网址淲hat we want to see is some investment in that mill so we donB次元官网网址檛 see these curtailments.B次元官网网址�

susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
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