'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
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.