Kenora sawmill faces down time

Kenora Forest Products is shutting down for a month due to a number of factors squeezing the forestry industry.
Shifts at the sawmill will cease June 28 and resume July 30 in an effort to minimize the financial impact on the operation while allowing employees to enjoy their summer vacation time.
A shortage of wood, a rising Canadian dollar, and low commodity prices all have contributed to the shutdown.
The mill also has been caught in the middle of the softwood lumber battle between the Canadian and American governments.
As well, it is one of several parties trying to secure fibre from the Whiskey Jack Forest, and is involved in negotiations between Queen’s Park and First Nations.
The local economy lost 440 high-paying jobs with the closure of the Abitibi and Devlin mills, as well as 41 permanent layoffs at ILevel—formerly Trus Joist—from their staff of 210.
The ILevel plant also has had temporary shutdowns related to a soft housing market in the United States that is expected to last between 18 months and two years.
However, Kenora Forest Products mill manager Rod McKay sees room for optimism.
“I expect that with a tremendous amount of lumber being curtailed from all sawmills in the next few months, we should see a better economic outlook for August,” he said in a release.
Kenora Forest Products is hoping to take over the wood rights from Abitibi so it can finance plans for a $30-million expansion that could add 50 jobs at the plant and 200 in the woodlands to their staff of 116.