Vanderhoof Specialty Wood Products employees laid off, says they were given little notice of impending curtailment

Doughtwright told us, that a day after employees were told that they were being temporarily laid off, he went to pick up his last paycheque and that, when he was at the mill site, he saw a U-Haul “picking up all the stuff that was basically not bolted into the mill.” Douthwright says he contacted an HR representative with the company to express to them that, what he witnessed, was not “a regular thing” and that those actions hadn’t been taken during previous curtailments.

CKPG News obtained a letter sent to employees from the Brink Group of Companies, dated March 9, 2026. In that letter, it states that “this layoff is intended to be temporary” and would be for three weeks, but could not provide a return-to-work date, and that employees would be contacted directly when “a recall is possible.” The letter also mentions that the layoff is “the result of operational challenges at Vanderhoof Specialty Wood Products” and that there was “recent operational restructuring.”

It’s not just the short notice that caught employees off guard. According to Douthwright and other VSWP employees we spoke to, there have been issues with paycheques, with cheques bouncing for employees who had their final cheques mailed to them. Douthwright and other employees say that there has been little communication from the company since the three week mark passed, and many are now looking for other employment.

CKPG News reached out to John Brink for comment and to clarify if VSWP employees will be returning to work, but did not receive a response.

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Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com

by Adam Berls

Vanderhoof Specialty Wood Products employees laid off, says they were given little notice of impending curtailment

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