'Devastating': Powell River paper mill shuts down, 200 jobs affected
More than 200 mill workers in Powell River, B.C., are out of a job Wednesday after Paper Excellence announced the indefinite end of operations at its Catalyst Paper tiskwat mill.
The B.C.-based pulp and paper company says the global contraction of paper markets and the collapse of paper prices created ongoing financial losses at the Powell River mill.
"Despite the best efforts of the mill’s committed team of employees, the facility is simply not viable under the reality of today’s market conditions," Paper Excellence said in a statement Wednesday.
The company had previously announced a temporary curtailment of operations at the mill starting on Nov. 22 with a potential restart in the new year.
The company says 206 employees are affected by the closure.
"Where possible, the company plans to offer relocation or secondment opportunities to other Paper Excellence facilities across B.C. where there are currently job vacancies," the company said.
Paper Excellence operates mills in Crofton and Port Alberni.
'DEVASTATING' FOR THE COMMUNITY
In a statement Wednesday, B.C. Forests Minister Katrine Conroy called the curtailment announcement "devastating for the 206 people who work at a mill, their families and the Powell River community."
“Our government has worked tirelessly with Paper Excellence to keep this operation running and it was our hope that the temporary curtailment announced two weeks ago would have been just that," Conroy said.
“Our government is committed to supporting impacted workers through skills training, short-term employment opportunities, and employment assistance and support," the minister added. "Separately, my colleagues and I will continue to meet with industry leaders to discuss future economic development opportunities at the site."
The company says it will safeguard the Powell River site and its equipment, removing all fibre and chemicals from the site to eliminate environmental risks. "A small team of employees will continue to provide around the clock security and monitoring," the company added.
Paper Excellence says it is engaged with governments and potential partners to find new opportunities for the facility, given its unique access to deep water, natural gas, electricity and power-generating capacity.
"It is Paper Excellence’s long-term goal that the site continues to provide meaningful employment and economic activity in Powell River," the company said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
A child killer legally changed his name in B.C. The province is trying to stop that from happening again
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.