Canfor’s sawmill in Houston, which employs approximately 385 workers, has reopened after a four-week shutdown.
The mill reopened Monday after curtailing operations between June 17 and July 26, only keeping care and maintenance of the mill’s facilities during this period.
Houston and District Chamber of Commerce President Darrin Supèr said the mill closure affected the entire business community in Houston.
“It’s an industry that our town thrives on and is successful and vibrant because of it,” said Supèr. “The mill is the main artery in Houston, and [if] you let that bleed out, the rest will eventually follow. We’ve seen it in other smaller communities.”
Supèr said government needs to do its part to keep rural communities alive.
“The forestry sector is B.C.’s number one export, so that should never compromised,” he said.
With the exception of a specialty plant in the Kootenays producing boards for furniture, siding and other products, Canfor closed all of its mills across B.C. for at least two weeks citing poor markets and the high cost of fibre. The Plateau mill in Vanderhoof faced a four-week closure while the Mackenzie mill closed for six weeks.
MLA for Nechako Lakes John Rustad said he hopes the Houston mill will continue to operate without any further curtailments.
“I know how hard it is for many workers to go without a paycheque,” said Rustad. “I hope the Houston operation will continue through this challenging time.”
Houston employees went through a closure last November, an extended Christmas closure at the end of 2018 and were off the job again for a week in February.
Michelle Ward, a Canfor spokesperson, said the company “deeply regrets” the impact of curtailments on employees, contractors and their families.
“We look forward to having our operations restart for the summer and to see our employees and contractors back at the mill,” Ward said last week.
In the past, Canfor has also cited log shortages, decreased annual allowable cuts, increased competition for fibre and the effects of past wildfire seasons as contributing factors to its closures.
The company said in June the curtailments would reduce Canfor’s production output by approximately 200 million board feet. Its annual production capacity is 3.8 billion board feet.
The Houston facility has been owned by Canfor since 1999. After an extensive expansion program, it was unveiled in 2004 as the world’s largest sawmill with an annual production capacity of 600 million board feet.
- With files from Rod Link