Pulp and paper giant Domtar is closing its Crofton paper mill, forcing 350 people out of work with Christmas just around the corner.
On Tuesday, the company announced the mill would close permanently due to lack of access to affordable wood in B.C. The 60-year-old mill will cease operations on Dec. 15, but some workers will be retained until February.
“These decisions are made with careful consideration and we recognize the hardship this decision will have on both our employees and the Cowichan Valley community as well as our business partners and the coastal forest sector,” said Steve Henry, Domtar’s president of paper and packaging.
The Crofton mill is halfway between Victoria and Nanaimo.
“Our primary focus is on the safety and well-being of our employees as we navigate the coming weeks,” Henry said, adding the company was exploring a variety of possibilities for the site’s future.
North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas, whose grandfather helped build the original mill, called the news devastating for his community, since it will have ripple effects on other businesses and services.
The district also saw the layoff of 150 workers in June at a Western Forest Products mill in Chemainus due to sagging lumber markets and record tariffs and penalties imposed by the U.S.
“Once you lose those good union jobs, it’s pretty tough to get them back,” said Douglas. “These are real people being impacted by this. They have families to support, mortgages, and they’re paying bills and supporting other businesses. It affects our entire community, so it’s pretty tough to swallow right now.”
Douglas said he would be meeting with Premier David Eby, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar and Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside on Wednesday afternoon to discuss next steps.
Parmar said the closure was “gut-wrenching for workers.”
B.C. Conservative MLA Aaron Gunn said the impact of the closure would be felt throughout the province.
“Already, we have seen 150 Islanders lose their jobs at the Western Forest Products’ sawmill in Chemainus and 165 more job losses in 100 Mile House after the West Fraser Timber mill shut down. Today’s closure is yet another blow to B.C.’s forestry industry, which continues to feel the consequences of the Liberals’ failure to get a softwood deal,” Gunn said.
With files from Times Colonist
