By Adam Berls/Tommy Osborne

forestry challenges

‘Not a surprise’: Mackenzie faces curtailment of Conifex operations for four weeks

Nov 28, 2025 | 4:11 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — Just days after new federal supports were announced for the softwood lumber industry, Conifex Timber has announced that they will curtail their operations at their Mackenzie sawmill for four weeks, starting December 15th. As Tommy Osborne reports, the Mayor of Mackenzie says the news did not come as a surprise.

“Certainly not good news for the community, especially so close to Christmas, but it was not a surprise.” – District of Mackenzie Mayor Joan Atkinson on Conifex curtailment

That’s the Mayor of Mackenzie on Friday’s announcement that the one of the last remaining major sawmills in her community is curtailing operations for four weeks. Joan Atkinson says that despite the bad news, she’s grateful it wasn’t worse.

“I am very grateful that this is, at this point, a curtailment for, four weeks as opposed to, complete shutdown, which some other communities, in interior B.C., have had to swallow that hard news in the last few weeks.”, Atkinson said.

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MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie Kiel Giddens says he spoke with Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar just yesterday, and says they found common ground, but stressed that harvesting operations need to be increased.

“Mackenzie Timber Supply Area is also one of the, timber baskets. With that, we’re fiber supplies is not constrained. This is actually an area where we need to have harvesting operations that this is going to increase its, the, it’s cutting under its allowable annual cut.” – Kiel Giddens, MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie (BC Conservatives)

With federal support being announced just a few days ago, and the recent expansion of the BDC Softwood Lumber Guarantee Program, Giddens says work needs continue with Ottawa.

“We need to work with the federal government and, BDC to make sure that Conifex and companies like Conifex have access to credit in a very challenging market, conditions that we’re in right now.”, Giddens said.

However, Joan Atkinson says that Mackenzie and other communities like hers, need more than just promises.

“The federal government is being very slow to react. With helping industry, they’ve made promises and said there’s money available. The first, announcement came out in August that they were going to help companies a deal with the the issues facing them with high costs and tariffs. To my knowledge, none of this money has been, disbursed as yet … I think they have to, maybe slow down on the politicking and the talking and actually move some things forward because, this is something that’s hanging over every forest dependent community.” – Joan Atkinson, Mayor of the District of Mackenzie

Conifex says that they remain optimistic that meaningful progress is forthcoming and that they remain committed to the Mackenzie region and their employees.

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X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com