Canfor extends Polar Sawmill curtailment

Canfor Corporation will curtail operations at its Polar Sawmill located in Bear Lake, BC, following an orderly wind-down. The curtailment is the result of a shortage of economically available fibre in the region and is expected to be in place for a period of approximately six months. The company will continue to evaluate market conditions and fibre availability in the region and adjust operations accordingly.

"Unfortunately, BC is amongst the highest cost operating jurisdictions in the world. With persistent weak market conditions and a shortage of cost-competitive fibre in the region, we simply don't have enough economic fibre to support both of our Prince George-area mills through this winter. As a result, we are making the difficult decision to curtail operations at Polar to ensure continued operations at our other facilities in the region," says Stephen Mackie, executive vice-president, North American operations. 

The curtailment will remove approximately 140 million board feet of production over six months.