Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Pat Bell is hoping an announcement on the fate of Canfor's Rustad sawmill will be made by the time frustrated workers hold a rally to call for a permanent closure and a pay out of their severance.
But the MLA, who is also the province's jobs minister, is making no promises, saying it depends on many things coming together and declined Tuesday to say when a decision will be made and to elaborate on what's being considered.
Rustad, where 205 unionized employees worked, has been on temporary shutdown for nearly two-and-a-half years and there was an uproar in June when they learned equipment had been removed from the site.
Both Canfor spokeswoman Christine Kennedy and Steelworkers Union Local 1-424 president Frank Everitt have said there is nothing new to report.
In September, Sinclar Group Forest Products decided to permanently shut down its Winton Global Lumber operation, which had been shuttered for three years, and pay out severance to the 134 employees who worked at its Bear Lake sawmill and Prince George planer mill,
The Winton Global Homes division continues to operate.
The rally is set for Wed., Dec. 7 at 10th and Central, near Bell's constituency office, at 10 a.m.
