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\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nVancouver-based corporation Canfor announced Tuesday that hundreds of employees from the Prince George Northwood Pulp Mill will soon be out of work, as a full closure will come later this year.<\/p>\n
The company pointed to poor market conditions, combined with ongoing difficulties accessing wood fibre, leading to unsustainable financial losses.<\/p>\n
Prince George City Councillor Tim Bennett says the closure will have a devastating impact on residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only is this going to impact our community, but more importantly, the lives of 300 employees [and] their families, and will have a ripple effect in the community,\u201d said Bennett.<\/p>\n
BC Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says the provincial government is deploying staff to support workers affected by the closure of the mill. He feels he is tasked with laying a path forward and bringing stability back to the sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prices of pulp in B.C. and across the world have declined as we\u2019ve seen more global players increase their presence, in particular in China, which is where we sell most of our pulp. The Chinese have increased their own domestic supply by just over 10 million tonnes over the last four years,\u201d said Parmar.<\/p>\n
According to the BC Council of Forest Industries, or COFI, since 2023, 21 B.C. lumber mills have closed permanently or indefinitely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The last pulp mill closure was in December of last year when the Crofton pulp mill shuttered its doors, and 350 workers lost their jobs.<\/p>\n
CEO of COFI Kim Haakstad says the sector needs help beyond just one minister.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the whole of the bc government behind us. We continue to see decisions in other ministries of government that are actually impeding the future success of the forest industry. We need other areas of government to give us the same kind of focus as they are giving to mining and energy,\u201d said Haakstad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to sugarcoat it, our forestry sector is facing arguably one of the most significant challenges in its history, certainly in my lifetime, so there\u2019s no doubt there are many mills on the brink of closure,\u201d said Parmar.<\/p>\n
The province\u2019s forest sector has lost over 15,000 jobs since 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tNorthwood Pulp Mill in Prince George. (CityNews Image) <\/p>\n
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