West Fraser Announces Permanent Production Curtailments at Fraser Lake and Williams Lake Sawmills and Quesnel Plywood Mill

Citing the increasing challenges in accessing available timber in British Columbia, as well as ongoing transportation restraints, West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. announced on Tuesday afternoon (8-9-22) that it is permanently curtailing approximately 170 million board of combined production at its Fraser Lake and Williams Lake sawmill facilities and approximately 85 million square feet of plywood production at its Quesnel Plywood mill.

The curtailments will be realized through the elimination of one shift at each facility. The reduction in capacity is expected to impact 77 positions at the Fraser Lake Sawmill, 15 positions at the Williams Lake Lumber Sawmill, and 55 positions at the Quesnel Plywood Mill. All curtailments are expected to occur over the course of Q4 2022.

West Fraser expects to mitigate the impact on effected employees by providing work opportunities at other West Fraser operations.