Interfor is in the midst of a three-week closure at its Grand Forks sawmill, according to the mayor, as part of company-wide production curtailments
Everett Baker told city council this week that the planer will continue to run with two shifts for four weeks to catch up with inventory, and then it too will be curtailed for a week.
Log hauling is expected to be curtailed for two weeks as well, he said. Baker called it a “huge concern” and said he expects to discuss the matter with the forests minister in the next week.
Baker said 140 mill workers affected, along with contractors who provide hauling and other services, which he said represented $1 million per week in spending.
On Sept. 4, the company announced plans to reduce production by about 145 million board feet between now and December, representing 12 per cent of its normal output.
“The temporary curtailments will be through a combination of reduced operating hours, prolonged holiday breaks, reconfigured shifting schedules and extended maintenance shut-downs,” the company said in a news release.
It added that the curtailments would affect all of Interfor’s operations, although no specifics were given on the Grand Forks mill.
“The curtailments are in response to persistently weak market conditions and ongoing economic uncertainty,” the company said.
The company declined an interview request, but in an email confirmed the Grand Forks division will be curtailed for seven weeks between the sawmill and planer operations between now and the end of the year.
In Castlegar, Interfor plans “minor downtown” of four to five days, scheduled around holidays and weekends to minimize the impact.
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