Commonwealth Plywood has said it will not be closing its sawmill in Rapides des Joachims on Dec. 19, as it had previously indicated, and will continue production at that location for an undetermined amount of time.
In an email to THE EQUITY last week, vice-president of forestry Joël Quevillon explained November’s notice of closure was announced to give employees the necessary warning in case the plant did indeed close Dec. 19, but that the company was simultaneously working on a plan to keep the sawmill open beyond this date.
“There was interest in the closure at the same time as we were finalizing a plan to extend the production period,” Quevillon wrote in French.
“We’ve made the decision to continue production at Rapides des Joachims, and we’re delighted for the existing team.”
He said the previously identified challenges to the mill’s continued operation persist, but that the company hopes to keep the mill open for as long as possible.
Quevillon would not comment further on what has made it possible for the mill to remain open, but said it was thanks to efforts from the entire team that the mill was able to reverse its decision to close and continue production.
“There are many reasons for this decision, and we don’t necessarily want to communicate them,” he wrote.
“Now we want to continue our production as long as possible, and we’re working on it.”
In an email to THE EQUITY on Dec. 17 , spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests Sylvain Carrier said the ministry had not yet been informed the sawmill would in fact be staying open, and had not made any changes to policies previously cited by the sawmill as significant challenges.
