Canfor’s Fort St. John sawmill will temporarily curtail sawmill and planer operations. The first curtailment, noted in Canfor's internal memo released to employees on May 8th, runs from June 28th to July 15th, Energeticcity.ca reported. The second curtailment, detailed in a June 12th memo, spans from August 26th to September 6th.
Employees can request a vacation pay advance for any vacation accrued since May to mitigate the interruption of earnings, according to the May 8th memo. The memos specify return dates for different shifts involved in sawmill and planer production, indicating that most employees will not work during these periods, except for critical positions, which will be staffed as needed.
Following the first curtailment, weekend personnel will return on July 14th, weekday employees on July 15th, and graveyard shifts will resume on July 14th. During the second curtailment, weekend shift personnel will resume on September 9th, graveyard shift personnel on September 8th, and weekday shifts on September 6th.
In May, Canfor permanently closed of its Polar sawmill in Bear Lake, BC, and the suspension of its reinvestment plans in Houston, BC. The company cited a prolonged timber shortage and operational challenges as the reasons for these decisions. Canfor stated that the closure of the Polar sawmill reflect deepening issues within the forestry sector, exacerbated by regulatory changes and natural disruptions.
