Western Forest Products mulls temporary curtailment of operations at Chemainus sawmill

Western Forest Products is considering curtailing operations at its Chemainus sawmill starting next week due to a log shortage, CHEK News has learned.

“Due to log supply challenges, we anticipate it may be necessary to temporarily curtail operations beginning sometime next week at our Chemainus sawmill,” a company spokesperson told CHEK News in an emailed statement.

Should curtailment occur, Western Forest Products says the move would impact a little more than 160 employees.

“Taking downtime at the mill would have a temporary employment impact on approximately 165 employees,” the spokesperson said.

Western Forest Products says they are working hard to secure logs in order to continue operating but that harvesting levels are seasonal and based on weather conditions.

“Winter weather typically challenges log availability at this time of year,” the spokesperson said.

CHEK News reached out to the union representing the mill workers but has not yet receive a response

Editorial Policies Report an Error