Canfor to close another sawmill

Canfor Corp., one of North America’s largest lumber producers, is closing another West Coast sawmill, in Chetwynd, B.C., which will result in 188 employees being laid off.

Vancouver-based Canfor attributed the closure to poor lumber markets and the impact of a high Canadian dollar. Additionally, Canfor cited those same problems in laying off 300 workers at four sawmills in British Columbia for an indefinite period late last month.

The Chetwynd sawmill has a capacity of 244 million board feet of production annually. It will close after log supplies are used up and finished products shipped, the company said, by late January or early February.

Canfor CEO Jim Shepard said the closure “is in keeping with the company's decision to restructure its production schedules to reflect the demands of the marketplace.”