"When the finger joint operations were closed, the company said workers in that division would have an opportunity to bump up into the Clear Lake sawmill operation."

So it took one more month to figure out they would not be able to do that? Wonder what they got to know within that month that they did not know before.

Canfor probably hoped the workers would rethink giving themselves their regular wages back.

It took the employees voting to get their rollback reinstated.

Didn`t Pat Bell say the HST was a saviour for forestry?
and I read nothing here about the elkfalls mill in Campbell river closing...or the 21% rollback catalyst is demanding or another 1200 workers are eliminated!

When are you going to wake up Miesner, stop pimping Pat Bell and Bond and the BC Liberals.
The HST is a fraud..Sinar Mas was a bad move in MacKenzie, short term gain while they cut our throats from the inside, 71 mills folks, 71

That is how many mills have closed since Gordon Liar Campbell took power...

And yet raw log exports are up 3000% percent since 2001...

Can`t you people connect the dots, Campbell is a corporate sleezeball sell out!

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.com/2010/09/another-bc-mill-is-being-mothballed.html

Grant, you're preaching to the choir. We know Gordon Campbell is a corporate hack. I'd be curious to see where you get your numbers for mill shutdowns though.

Seems the other day Pat Bell made a statement about saving the forest industry after hearing about the Zalm's recall list. So much for Pat Bell's efforts.

Sympathies to the 185 people who will be out of work. Clear Lake was around for a lot of years and under Don Doyle's leadership in the 70's thru the 90's was an excellent place to work and do business with.

My brother is one of those affected at Clearlake and while it sucks it was not unexpected. He and everyone else that works at Clearlake knew it was only a matter of time.

I work for Canfor as well on the Pulp side and it has been known for the past 2 yrs that one of the 5 sawmills Canfor owns in the region was going to be perma shut so yes it sucks but it was not unexpected.

Politics nor the government had any thing to do with the closure this was a business decision pure and simple.

You fine folks might want to read this...All the facts...

36,000 forestry jobs gone since Campbell took power...

How many mills does 36,000 forestry workers represent?

Pat Bell, you are fired!


http://mostlywater.org/campbells_tax_cuts_failed_work_opinion

Grant G and others...
I do not agree with many policy decisions made by the Liberals that have effected the forest industry, but to blame the Liberals for 36,000 lost jobs?? Did the Liberals kill the US housing industry? Don't think so.
As for Elk Falls, maybe at some point before we lose all the good paying jobs, some unions might have to understand flexibility. My brother in law works at the Crofton mill, and believe me, he knows how to max out every hour, and every dollar to his benefit. We need to understand that we have cheaper competition before all the pulp and paper jobs are gone.

Clear Lake ex-employees gonna be busy working on the recall project? Betcha more than one.

@Theviewuphere...

Your argument fails...We will never compete with $5 dollar a day Asian mill workers...

And can you explain a 3000% percent rise in raw log exports since 2001?

You have to shut down raw log exports...Short term pain for long term gain!

But that can`t happen now...And would you like to know why?

Because of the TFL giveaways, these are now called private lands and there is no legal way to stop these logs from leaving the Province, but that was Gordon Campbell`s plan all along...

And when BC forestry companies got $800 million dollars on the soft wood lumber agreement...

Guess what..They invested..

They invested $670 million dollars!!!

In upgrading US mills!

"No one is as blind as those who refuse to see"

Is Pat Bell going to wear a pin until Clear Lake opens again?

Our politicans like Bell are ineffectual and do nothing.

Recall Pat

Ask Pat how many raw log exports have resulted in jobs deported overseas to China ...

We are exporting our wealth like fools

The only reason Clear Lake stayed open so long is because they didn't have a union. Until recently. They do now. (or did).
Agree or disagree they will never reinstate the 'Running Forestry Museum' again.
That mill was well run, and staffed, for a long time. Even after many other mill closures. Canfor has been shipping their top guns out of there for a long time, this closure is no surprise.
All we really need in our little berg is for as many of the lowest cost producers in the world to continue to be just that, low cost producers. We need those wages (our taxes) for Cambells 'tax shifts' to survive.
Am I right or wrong people? Are NCP, Rustads, and now Clear Lake just the first of this problem? We've lost ALOT of jobs here lately!

?
Comment.

when is this going to stop,job after jobs in pg? somebody call the for federal help?

Another fine example of the Lieberal HST at work saving forestry jobs.

ditdat...don't forgot Winton Global is also down and no sign of reopening.

Yes, thank you HST. I see Canfor is passing on those savings to customers. Oh wait, they need to eliminate more costs (workers) to do that.

*fingers crossed*

I sure hope lumber prices at Home Depot drop now.

Mr. Campell and Mr. Hansen promised me savings.

Grant G is correct, raw log exports are huge, logs are being shipped from all BC.
There is a demand for lumber, those shipped logs are made into lumber somewhere.

Grant G, I am not advocating 5 bucks an hour, but I am advocating common sense and flexibility. Did the union at Eurocan ever go to the company and suggest a pay small pay cut in return for profit sharing later?? No. Our workers need to realise that we are competing with the world. When one of the paper machines closed in Port Alberni, I asked my brother-in-law, why don't you guys all take a buck an hour less? His response was that the closure was "good for his guys" as it increased their job security. What about the brotherhood??
As for the log exports etc, I totally agree. We shouldn't be sending the product off in such an unfinished state. Also, the way the Liberals removed the need to mill the timber a certain distance from where they were logged killed many communities, which was dumb and we can't go back now.
To have sustainability we need companies that look beyond greed (but not profit), sensible government decisions, and unions that are flexible.

re raw log exports......

so you want those logs kept in Canada for what?
to produce more lumber than can't compete and is not required in markets we as Canucks can access?
we already have a huge surplus of over supply of lumber and you want to increase it?
the result would be more job losses and blood letting!

Well I must say the Clear Lake folks are lucky it's not an indefinite shut down announcement, at least they will get some kind of severance. The folks at Canfor Radium, Vanvenby and good old Rustad's got nothing. Oh I forgot we should be happy that we got a pay check for all those years we worked there. Nevermind!

I read all posted opinions and I gotta say there all pretty bang on. Here's mine, I wonder why employees at other mills know whats gonna happen like a mill is gonna close before there suposed announcement like when Rustad was anounced friends at other mills told emplyees at rustad hrs before the phone call from jimmy to the bosses like what happened to Clear Lake I know a friend who works at another Canfor mill told me 2 weeks ago a vote was in and canfor was to close clear lake and rustad was to reopen so far 1 for 2. Yes Clear Lake is the oldest and weakest mill in canfor yes there 1 yr agreement for the $5 pay cut is soon to end and there to get there wage back as was before and there the only canfor mill i believe that had a permenent closer in there contract if shutdown(hint hint any contract is up for renewal add in the contract permenent closer if shutdown), now this is my belief now that clear lake is gone out of the picture jimmy can shuffle shutdowns all through the mills like shuffling a deck of cards. Indefinate shutdown one mill open another repeatedly so no severance is to be paid keeping the money in his pocket not in ours. So lets say closing clear lake and they open rustad back up whose the next victom to be shutdown in the shuffle pg sawmill for radium or polar for vanvenby when there 2 yr terms are up.