Conifex has announced that it will extend the temporary curtailment at its Mackenzie sawmill.
The company says continued high log costs and difficult lumber market conditions have forced it to add three weeks of additional downtime, meaning workers will be off the job until September 3.
“We regret the impact that the curtailment will have on our employees and the community,” said Kenneth Shields, Chair and CEO of Conifex, in a news release. “We are exploring initiatives with the Ministry of Forests, Land, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, the District of Mackenzie, and other forest industry stakeholders to help enable us to sustain operations through the remainder of 2019.”
The additional curtailment, combined with the downtime announced in July, is expected to reduce the company’s lumber output by approximately 25 million board feet.
