Tolko Industries Ltd. blames weak lumber markets and the impact of wildfires for the closure of its Quesnel sawmill.
President and CEO Brad Thorlakson says the company is permanently closing its Quest Wood mill in August and cutting the shifts by half at its Kelowna mill in July.
The Quesnel sawmill employs 150 people while approximately 90 workers will be affected by the shift reduction in Kelowna.
In a news release issued Friday, Thorlakson says the company doesn’t have enough economic fibre to keep all of its BC mills running efficiently.
He says the curtailments are sooner than anticipated due to log costs, weak lumber markets, and the “catastrophic impacts” of wildfires.
The curtailments will remove 250 million board feet from Tolko’s production in B.C.
Forests Minister Doug Donaldson says the province will work with Tolko and the community to deliver support programs for affected workers.
