There's more bad news for northern B.C.'s economy.
After being curtailed in June 2020, Paper Excellence has announced its permanently shutting down the Mackenzie Pulp Mill.
The company cites market impacts from COVID-19 as well as a lack of local economic fibre as its reasoning for the closure.
Paper Excellence bought the mill in 2010 and say, since then, its invested more than $360 million at the facility.
"However, despite these investments and the committed team of employees in Mackenzie, the facility’s small production capacity and the ongoing lack of local economic fibre meant the mill could not be globally competitive," a statement reads.
"Paper Excellence looks forward to the B.C. government’s continued focus on competitive mid-term timber supply and modernization of forest policy while ensuring an equitable distribution of access to forest tenures to support the diversity and competitiveness of the sector and the production of high-value products."
Employees that worked at the facility have been, where possible, moved to other Paper Excellence facilities across the country.
The company says the terms of the collective agreement with UNIFOR Local 1092 will be respected and severance payments made.
