Union says B.C. mill closure leaves workers ‘reeling,’ as industry woes persist

The union representing most of the 300 employees who will lose their jobs with the closure of Canfor’s Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, B.C., says people are reeling from the latest blow to an already battered industry.

Unifor’s western regional director Gavin McGarrigle says the loss of so many jobs in a community the size of Prince George can have cascading social and economic impacts, such as more job losses at sawmills, forcing skilled trade workers to leave.

Prince George Mayor Simon Yu says after Tuesday’s closure announcement that residents are resilient and he’s hopeful the workers will find jobs within the community.

He hopes the closure represents “the bottom” and the community can now “go upwards.”

McGarrigle says workers need “real answers” from the provincial and federal government about what it is going to do to support the struggling industry and its workers in the short term.

Last year three major timber operations closed in British Columbia — the Crofton pulp mill on Vancouver Island, West Fraser sawmill in 100 Mile House and a Drax pellet mill in Williams Lake.

The BC Council of Forest Industries says that since 2023, 21 B.C. lumber mills have closed permanently or indefinitely.

The group says that by the first quarter of 2026, the province’s forest sector had lost approximately 15,000 jobs since 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2026