Tolko Industries announced today that its Soda Creek and Armstrong Lumber operations will both be moving from two shifts to single shifts.
The temporary shift change at Armstrong Lumber went into effect today, and Tolko says it will be working with impacted employees at Soda Creek on the exact date of their permanent move to a single shift.
“A lack of available economic fibre in the province, high log costs, and weak markets are impacting our ability to be fully operational,” says Troy Connolly, Vice President of Solid Wood.
“While our goal is to ensure consistency and stability for all of our operations, the steep decline in lumber demand and upward cost pressures in the province make the decision necessary.”
Approximately 130 employees will be impacted — 65 employees at each division — and the potential for approximately 100 million board feet of lumber will be removed from annual production at each location.
“This downtime will affect many employees in these operations. We do not make these decisions without a lot of consideration,” says Connolly.
“We have an extremely committed workforce at these locations whose families and communities rely on Tolko. We will continue to support our employees during this challenging time.”
–Files by George Henderson, My Cariboo Now