Canfor to Shut Down Canal Flats Sawmill
Canal Flats, B.C.- It came as a shock to employees and the Village of Canal Flats, as Canfor has announced it will permanently close its sawmill in that community.
The company expects the closure to take effect November 9th. In a media release ,Canfor President Don Kayne says the decision is a result of “A lack of economically available fibre supply for our Canal Flats operation, combined with depressed market conditions in the oil and gas and lumber markets that it serves, have brought operating losses we can no longer sustain.”
It is estimated the closure will impact about 80 employees.
Canal Flats is located about halfway between Cranbrook and Invermere on the southern edge of Columbia Lake. Canal Flats has a population of about 700, and the sawmill is the largest employer in the community.
“We recognize this decision will be difficult for our employees and the community of Canal Flats, and we are committed to doing what we can to ease that transition” said Kayne. All employees impacted by the closure will be offered opportunities to transfer to other divisions of Canfor.
Comments
BC jobs Plan, LNG
people losing jobs by the hundreds in this province and ditzy more concerned where we are going to place refugees at the tune of a million plus dollars out of everyones pocket.
I hope ppl vote with their Knowledge and not with their dreams….this is just the beginning.
Yet another sawmill town goes bust. Sawmills have become so productive that the “renewable resource” cannot be sustained. Unfortunately, other sawmills are running out of nearby supply too. Williams Lake, 100 Mile, Quesnel, Prince George, and countless others will eventually follow suit.
Another rape and pillage from big bully Canfor.
I wonder how many of you brainiacs actually know anything about resource management, realities of today’s market or even if any of you even know where Canal flats is
Canfor is a business like it or not they make delicious nobody likes but first and foremost anybody who wishes to remain employed will have an opportunity to go to other Canfor operations and that is something Canfor has always done for any mill they shutdown Valemont, Radium, Clear lake, Quesnel and now Canal Flats
If you are gong to to be negative and whine because you like to insert your foot by all means continue but maybe you should actually do some homework and maybe actually become somewhat educated but that might asking a lot from of you who post here as well
Just wait, there will be more.
Mills are in a constant state of upgrade and automation. Automation equals fewer jobs, that is why the mills are becoming more automated.
It is cheaper to buy a piece of equipment that will work consistently and constantly for years without complaint or wage increases.
With today’s roads and heavy vehicles, it is more cost effective to truck the logs for hours to a centralized mill. That is why all those little mill towns are folding up. It is no longer needed to have a mill every 50 km.
Welcome to the modern technology of equipment over employment.
Comments for this article are closed.