Paper Excellence Announces Temporary Shutdown of Crofton Pulp & Paper and Port Alberni Mill
Crofton mill to be idled for 30 days, Port Alberni for two weeks
The Times Colonist is reporting (5-30-23) that Paper Excellence is shutting down its Crofton pulp and paper mill for at least 30 days and its Port Alberni mill for a minimum of two weeks.
According to the report, Gavin McGarrigle, western regional director for Unifor, said on Monday that about 100 Unifor members in Crofton and about 174 in Port Alberni are going to be impacted by the shutdown.
McGarrigle said, “We understand the overall global market conditions—there’s too much paper out there. They just can’t really find a market to sell it into, so that’s why they have to do their curtailments. When they do these curtailments, they basically shut most of it down, other than the bare minimum.” Global demand for paper has declined sharply, driving up inventory levels and depressing prices, he added.
In January, Paper Excellence announced it was investing nearly $50 million (CAD) in the Crofton mill’s paper operations. The closure comes just five months after the federal government contributed $14.3 million and the BC provincial government put in $14.5 million towards fostering innovation and sustainability.
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