|
|
|
Pulp firm targets Mackenzie workers |
|
|
Written by GORDON HOEKSTRA
Citizen staff
|
|
Friday, 16 May 2008 |
A northern Alberta pulp company is going to Mackenzie next week to hunt skilled workers that may be available in the wake of the closure of Pope & Talbot's pulp mill, and earlier in the year AbitibiBowater's paper mill.
Daishowa Marubeni International Ltd., which operates a kraft pulp mill just outside of Peace River, Alta., is setting up shop on Tuesday and Wednesday at Mackenzie Leisure Services starting at 8 a.m.
Rob Lafontaine said because they face lots of competition from the booming oilsands, they are looking for power engineers, but also skilled trades on the maintenance side.
They are also looking for some instrumentation technologists, programmer-analysts for their information technology department.
"We're hopefully trying to create a win for us, and give some people some employment in areas that have been having a hard time," said Lafontaine.
Daishowa Marubeni is also carrying out a similar recruiting effort in Nanaimo, where Pope and Talbot's Harmac also has closed.
Last week, Pope & Talbot's Mackenzie and Nanaimo pulp mills closed as the 160-year-old, Oregon-based company went into receivership.
The company had been working on a deal to sell its pulp mills and a sawmill in Fort St. James to to Indonesia-based Sinarmas, but the deal collapsed.
Financially-troubled Pope & Talbot lost nearly $60 million in the first half of this year, and was delisted from the New York Stock exchange because of its stock's abnormally low trading price at the end of last year. The stock, which had traded at a high of $8.44 as recently as May of 2006, is now trading below the five-cent range.
The company had a profit in 2006, but that was a result of the return of softwood lumber tariffs.
In 2005, the company lost $50 million.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 16 May 2008 )
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed