Curtailed Port Alberni sawmill will not reopen as is; owner announces working group
A Vancouver Island sawmill where work has been curtailed since last October will not be reopening in its current configuration, its owner announced Thursday.
Western Forest Products Inc. said in a statement that it will not restart its Alberni-Pacific Division facility in Port Alberni as currently set up. Instead, the company "has established a multi-party working group to explore potential viable industrial manufacturing solutions for the facility."
A report commissioned last year by WFP, Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership and Huu-ay-aht First Nations found that manufacturing options for the facility are "very limited," the company said.
The new working group includes representatives from WFP, the United Steelworkers union, "Indigenous partners and contractually aligned business," the company said, adding that it will meet over the course of 90 days to explore options for the site.
“We believe the coastal forest sector has a strong future and we have and plan to continue to invest in partnerships, people and facilities to achieve a long-term sustainable business model in B.C. that evolves with the changing fibre supply, forest policies and global markets,” said WFP CEO Steven Hofer in the statement.
“We are committed to exploring options with partners to advance potential solutions for the APD facility and appreciate the support of the working group members who have stepped up and joined us in this important work.”
Approximately 90 employees were affected by the curtailment of the Alberni-Pacific Division.
Thursday's announcement is the latest in a flurry of updates on the province's forestry industry that have been made at the start of this year.
Last week, Premier David Eby announced both the creation of a new, $90-million fund for innovation in rural communities and a $50-million upgrade project at the Paper Excellence mill in Crofton, B.C., which will be funded in part by the federal government.
Mill closures and curtailments have also been announced, including at Canfor facilities in Chetwynd and Houston, B.C.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.