Unifor is calling for action following the announcement that Interfor is shutting down operations at its Ear Falls Sawmill indefinitely.
Unifor Local 324 represents 160 workers at the sawmill.
“We’re well beyond warning signs in the forestry sector and are now seeing widespread job loss in response to the economic warfare waged by the United States,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“We are calling on municipal, provincial and federal governments to sit down with us immediately to develop a plan forward for our forestry workers, their families and the many communities that can only thrive if the forestry sector survives.”
Locally, the union is still digesting the announcement.
“We had meetings today (Friday) with the company, and we’re planning on continuing to have meetings next week in terms of getting clarity on the whole situation in terms of the actual rollout of the layoff over the coming month, because obviously, there still needs to be work done,” explained Unifor Northern Area Director, Stephen Boon.
“Finishing off some of the inventory, talking about what crew is gonna be left behind in terms of maintaining the site, and then what can be done and meeting with what levels of government, what steps can be taken in terms of expediting a restart and dealing with any issues that are there.”
Boon explained that the issue at the mill stems from the U.S. trade war against Canada.
“Softwood lumber has had duties on it since 2017, but there’s been an extreme ratcheting up of those tariffs and duties over the last six months with culminating in the 10 per cent tariff that was applied in the last week, which is, you know, designed to try to cause economic harm to the Canadian industry,” added Boon.
“We’re hopeful that the Canadian government will step up. The goal is to try to find a trade deal to find peace between our two countries, and we’re hoping that the Canadian government steps up in terms of trying to find a resolution and fighting for not only these workers, but all workers across a number of sectors that are currently being impacted.”
According to Unifor, they have on multiple occasions called for coordinated discussions with all levels of government to develop an industrial strategy for forestry, among other tariff-exposed sectors.
On Friday, the organization sent a letter to the Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products, Kevin Holland, urgently requesting a meeting to discuss the ongoing softwood lumber dispute and trade war with the United States.
“Communities across north and northwestern Ontario are suffering as layoffs, curtailments, and shutdown announcements pile up,” explained Payne and Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi in the letter.
“This goes well beyond typical responses to wavering market prices and is a widespread and growing reaction to unjust U.S. tariffs and the lack of tri-level government policy and strategy to safeguard the thousands of jobs and millions in economic output generated directly and indirectly through the province’s forestry operations.”
Hashi added in a separate statement that if the Ear Falls sawmill isn’t safe, no forestry operation in this province is safe.
