https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/
Voters should demand real action and investment commitment from party leaders to revitalize, ‘re-imagine’ this critical sector
As Ontario braces for a snap provincial election called by Premier Doug Ford, the languishing forest industry in rural and Northern Ontario remains a critical yet overlooked issue. The closure of major pulp mills in Espanola and Terrace Bay have dealt a severe blow to the region’s economy, with far-reaching consequences that demand immediate attention.
The indefinite idling of Domtar’s Espanola pulp mill in November 2023 and Aditya Birla’s Terrace Bay mill in January 2024 has resulted in the loss of over 850 direct jobs and the annual production of 600,000 tonnes of Northern Bleached Kraft pulp.
These closures have had a domino effect, impacting harvest and forestry contractors, support jobs, and regional sawmills that relied on these pulp mills for chip consumption. The subsequent and recent closures of Midway Lumber Mills in Thessalon after 70 years of operation and the Cascades containerboard mill in Trenton further underscores the industry’s dire state.
For the rest of this column: https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/forestry/opinion-will-the-political-parties-stick-up-for-the-ailing-forest-industry-10154462