Canfor Pulp Products has announced a temporary curtailment at Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, due to the ongoing labour dispute at B.C. ports.
The curtailment is expected to begin on Thursday and last until cargo begins moving again through B.C.’s ports, a statement issued by the company on Tuesday said. The curtailment is due to the limited storage space for pulp products that cannot be transported to the company’s overseas markets.
“We are urging the federal government to take action to bring a swift end to the labour dispute at the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert. As a result of the strike, we are unable to ship approximately 70 (per cent) of our pulp products to customers in Asia,” Canfor Pulp presidents and CEO Kevin Edgson said in the statement issued on Tuesday. “We regret that our Northwood employees are being impacted as a result of a separate labour dispute and we recognize the effect it will have on them, their families, our suppliers and the community.”
The mill employs roughly 475 people, and the majority of the employees will be impacted by the curtailment, a Canfor Pulp spokesperson said in an email.
"We will have a skeleton crew working to ensure the safety and protection of the mill and they will also continue to receive chips and hog," the spokesperson said. "We regret our Northwood employees are being impacted as a result of the labour dispute at B.C. ports."
The curtailment is expected to reduce the company’s production of market kraft pulp by 11,000 tonnes per week.
