In a statement released on Friday, November 30, Catalyst Paper Corporationchief executive officer Ned Dwyer said the company will curtail production on two paper machines at its mills in Powell River and Port Alberni for 10 days beginning Saturday, December 1.
The company is working to balance labour and production time to mitigate layoffs of a combined 140 workers at both mills, according to the statement.
Dwyer said the reason is due to a sudden weakness in Asian markets, where Catalyst had increased sales after United States Department of Commerce trade sanctions were imposed on the company and then lifted.
“The shortage of economic fibre in the province and extremely high natural gas prices limit our ability to respond more effectively to these market-related changes,” said Dwyer.
The curtailment is expected to end on December 10.
