Canfor closing Vavenby mill

Photo: Google Maps

The largest employer in the tiny interior community of Vavenby is shutting down permanently.

Employees at the Vavenby Mill were given the news by mill owner Canfor Monday afternoon.

Marty Gibbons, president of United Steelworkers Union Local 1-417 confirmed the closure to Castanet News late Monday.

He said the sawmill will operate until June 21, with the planer mill operating for an additional two weeks.

"By early July, the entire mill will be shutdown," said Gibbons.

The closure will put about 178 people out of work in the community of about 700. Vavenby is on the Yellowhead Highway, about 30 kilometres east of Clearwater, and 150 kilometres northeast of Kamloops.

Gibbons says timber supply is the reason for the closure.

"There's just not enough trees left to support the mills that are left in B.C.

"There's been a number of studies out that suggest five to 10 mills in the province will have to close in the next five to 10 years."

While wildfires can at least be partially to blame, Gibbons says it's his belief the government has mismanaged forests in the province for years leading up to this.