Doerkson says province will work to reopen shuttered Quesnel pulp mill

B.C. premier-designate Lorne Doerkson said the indefinite curtailment of Quesnel River Pulp is a “hard blow” for Quesnel and the mill’s workers.

“Many of them have been off the job since September, holding out hope that they would be called back, and my thoughts are with them and with everyone in the community whose livelihood runs through that operation,” Doerkson said in a statement Monday.

He said operator Millar Western has left the door open to a restart, and the incoming Conservative government will work with the company and the City of Quesnel to get the mill running again.

“There’s no overnight fix. The people of Quesnel will soon have a government that understands what forestry means to this province, that will make sure the supports are there for the workers affected and that is going to get to work on building the sector back,” he said.

It is the latest in a series of mill closures and curtailments across B.C.’s beleaguered forest sector in recent years.

The company cited “ongoing market challenges and the application of significant tariffs on Chinese exports” as the reason for the decision.

Quesnel Mayor Coralee Oakes said she is deeply disappointed. Oakes said the curtailment will have a significant impact on the city and its finances moving forward.

“Of course we’ve been through closures before and we know, especially with the affordability challenges, that this comes at a very, very difficult time for many families in the community,” she said.

Oakes said Monday she had spoken with Doerkson and with Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty.

“We are going to fight to make sure that our community receives the same types of supports that are happening right now in eastern Canada. Whether it’s the supports that communities and workers have received in the auto sector, or steel and aluminum,” Oakes said.

According to Millar Western’s website, the mill can produce 375,000 air-dried tonnes of softwood pulp a year.

The company, which owns two other pulp operations in Alberta, received a $100 million loan from the federal government earlier this year as part of efforts to support businesses facing trade and tariff-related uncertainty.

Ottawa said in July the loan would “provide the company with the flexibility to strengthen its near-term operations, including rebuilding its log inventory, and adapt to evolving market conditions while protecting jobs.”

— With files from George Henderson