Port Alberni sawmill temporarily curtails operations, about 90 workers affected
Operations at a Western Forest Products sawmill in Port Alberni, B.C., have been temporarily curtailed, a move that's expected to affect roughly 90 employees.
Work at the Alberni Pacific Division Sawmill has been curtailed since mid-October, and there's no set date for when it may restart.
"We will continue to monitor markets and log availability to determine when we can resume operations," said Western Forest Products in a statement Monday.
The company says it's working with staff at the Port Alberni mill to try to place them at other WFP locations while the curtailment is in effect.
The statement comes just weeks after an indefinite curtailment was announced at a paper and pulp mill in Crofton, B.C.
The curtailment is set to begin in December and affect at least 150 employees who work in the mill's paper division.
About two weeks after the upcoming curtailment was announced, more than 400 unionized workers at the mill voted in favour of potential strike action.
The workers, with the Public and Private Workers of Canada union Local 2 (PPWC Local 2) said they were seeking fair wages that were aligned with other unionized mill workers in other parts of B.C.
In a release on Oct. 21, Paper Excellence said negotiations had "hit an impasse" with the union and that PPWC Local 2 refused a request for mediation.
"Paper Excellence hopes for a speedy return to discussions and the restart of the Crofton facility," said the company at the time.
CTV News has reached out to Paper Excellence and PPWC Local 2 for updates on negotiations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.