Intercon

By Cheryl Jahn

Curtailments Concerning

Pulp mill curtailments worrisome

Jun 28, 2019 | 3:22 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The curtailments of two Canfor pulp mills locally is very concerning for many in the community. “When you talk about what’s happened on the mill side, you wondered when a curtailment on the pulp side was going to happen,” says Mayor Lyn Hall.

“No question, it’s an impact not just to the City but it’s going to be an impact to the region as well.” Nearly eight hundred people will be without a pay cheque for at least a month and that is worrisome for the Chamber of Commerce, as that is nearly eight hundred fewer people with less expendable income for things like dinners-out. And the whole suite of curtailments has the Chamber concerned.

“From our standpoint, and something we’re working on internally, is ‘What does the new economy of Prince George look like?’ and “‘How do we ensure that the employees have an opportunity to take their skills into other industries or do they need to upgrade skills to look at other industries?’ So it’s a constant discussion,” says CEO Todd Corrigall, who adds the mills closures in places like Fort St. James and Quesnel is of equal concern because as goes the region, goes Prince George.

But Mayor Lyn Hall says this community is far better able to weather this storm that it was years ago.

“You look around the community now and who are the major employers? there’s no question it’s still the forest industry, but you’ve got places like Telus and CN, Northern Health, School District 57, CNC, UNBC. So, from that perspective, perhaps it’s changed a bit,” says Hall. “But it’s still a worry, it’s still a concern.”

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