Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, has released the following statement regarding the curtailment of the Paper Excellence mill in Mackenzie:

“I was saddened to learn Paper Excellence is curtailing its Mackenzie pulp mill operations. My heart goes out to the 253 directly impacted workers, their families and the entire Mackenzie community during this difficult time.

“Many in the community, including Mayor Joan Atkinson, have worked tirelessly to keep this operation running. It is my understanding that Paper Excellence has said the curtailment is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reduced fibre availability due to sawmill curtailments in the region.

“Our first priority is to support forest communities, workers and families, and we will be reaching out to UNIFOR and Paper Excellence to determine what supports are needed. All employees impacted by the closure of Paper Excellence’s Mackenzie pulp mill are eligible to access supports and services under our government’s $69-million forestry worker support fund. Supports under this fund include job placements, retirement bridging and retraining.”