Earlier this month, a mill in Merritt announced that it would be temporarily pausing operations.
In a statement to NowMedia, BC’s Ministry of Forests said the uncertainty around the Aspen Planers mill is “extremely” hard for the community and impacted workers and their families.
According to the statement, staff from the Ministry of Forests have met monthly with Aspen Planers for almost a year to address concerns and “develop stronger relationships in the community, and will continue to do so.”
“Staff from across government ministries have been in touch with City of Merritt officials,” the statement said.
“We are determined to support forestry communities and workers, as well as take action to protect and create good jobs in the sector.”
A statement from the City of Merritt on Friday said the city didn’t have much information about the temporary halt to operations.
However, the city said it was hopeful that the government could find a way forward and a way to resolve “issues in this vital forestry sector.”
“The City of Merritt is disheartened to hear of the closure of Aspen Planers,” the statement said.
“They represent a vital part of our local economy as a key employer for our region. Our hearts and minds go out to the many employees and their families who are struggling during this time.”
According to the Ministry of Forests, the closure was caused by the “many challenges” facing the forestry industry in North America, including low market prices for lumber and high interest rates.
“In a tough economy, we won’t leave people behind to fend for themselves,” the statement from the Ministry of Forests said.
The Ministry said it would be increasing access to fibre and was taking action to support the forestry industry and forest dependent communities like Merritt.
This isn’t the first mill closure announced in BC this spring.
In May, Canfor said it was closing a sawmill in Bear Lake, shutting down a production line at the Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George and suspending a future investment in Houston.
The company blamed policy and regulation changes made by the provincial government that resulted in a decline in harvest levels.
However, Bruce Ralston, minister of forests, told NowMedia this was not the case and the government had ensured the company access to a fibre supply.
The same message was made in the ministry’s latest statement to NowMedia.
The Ministry of Forests said mill curtailments are happening across North America because the price of lumber had fallen after “historical” highs and it would continue to be a challenge to BC’s forestry industry.
However, the statement said the government was working on “local initiatives” with communities, First Nations and industry workers to bring “predictability and confidence” to forestry operations and decisions in cities like Merritt.
“In the face of severe market pressures, the previous approach was not working, but by working together we create stability and opportunity for everyone,” the statement said.
The province said it has taken several steps to speed up salvage logging permits following wildfires, fund local forestry manufacturing projects and make stumpage more responsive to market price. According to the statement, the province is also partnering with the Forest Enhancement Society of BC to harvest more fibre for mills.
“We are putting workers and communities at the centre of strengthening BC’s forest sector,” the statement said.
In a separate interview, BC Conservative leader John Rustad told NowMedia it wasn’t enough and the NDP’s approach to forestry needed to be “thrown out the door.”
“There’s a lot of things that need to be done and the first thing you need to recognize is you can’t be competitive if you’re highest cost producer so we need to drive down those costs, we need to replace out stumpage system, we need to look differently at how we access the fibre,” Rustad said, adding that the salvage logging permitting process to be changed.
NowMedia reached out to Aspen Planers and its parent company AP Group but did not receive a response before publication.
