Canfor is extending the closure of four of its B.C. mills, including the ones in Houston and at Plateau near Vanderhoof, for two weeks with the company citing weak market conditions as the reason.
The mills had been expected to re-open following prolonged closures effective Dec. 19, 2022 of Canfor’s BC mills. Weak markets also given as a reason.
“Houston and Chetwynd were scheduled to restart on Jan. 9 and will now restart on Jan 23. Plateau and Prince George Sawmill were scheduled to restart on Jan. 16 and will now restart on Jan. 30,” said company official Michelle Ward today.
“We regret the ongoing impact to our employees and are working to support them.”
The extended closures will cut production by approximately 21 million board feet in addition to the 150 million board feet from the closures announced last month.
The company did hint in announcing the closures in December that down time might continue into January.
And today it once again said that any decisions to re-open must “align with market conditions and the available supply of economically viable timber.”
The extended closures follow what has been a lengthy period of Friday closures already in 2022.
And that follows occasional complete shutdowns over the past several years with the company citing high log costs and supply chain problems of various kinds in getting lumber to markets.