Hundreds of forest-industry workers will be affected as a pulp and paper mill in Crofton shuts down for one month because it says it can鈥檛 get enough wood.
Paper Excellence sa国际传媒 of Richmond says it will curtail pulp and paper production for 30 days at its Crofton operation.
Stew Gibson, vice-president of operations, says the decision will affect about 450 members of two unions, Unifor and the Pulp Paper and Woodworkers of sa国际传媒.
He says developments in both the coastal and interior forest regions of the province have cut off the mill鈥檚 long-term contractual supplies of wood that are the basis of its operations.
Gibson says pulp and paper remains vitally important to the strength of the forest sector and he鈥檚 encouraged by a tentative settlement in a nearly eight-month strike that idled Western Forest Products operations across Vancouver Island.
United Steelworkers Union members voted Thursday and Friday on a tentative contract to end that dispute, with leaders of聽the United Steelworkers Union Local 1-1937 recommending acceptance. They expected voting results as early as today.
Gibson said resolution of the聽Western Forest Products strike will re-establish an important chain of supply on the聽west coast.
鈥淥ur industry transforms nearly half of the forest harvest into sustainably produced, value-added goods and biomass energy,鈥� he said in a statement released on聽Friday.
The company continues to work with senior government officials to resolve fibre shortages and other challenges.
Several critical areas of the Crofton mill, including its fibre-receiving facility, will remain open during the one-month shutdown, Gibson said.
