Tolko Takes ‘Downtime’ At Two Mills

Tolko Industries will be shutting down its Armstrong and Soda Creek lumber operations for two weeks, starting on Monday, May 27.

The Vernon-based company cites challenging industry conditions as the reason for the downtime.

“High log costs and weak market conditions continue to impact our lumber operating footprint in British Columbia,” says Vice President of Solid Wood, Troy Connolly. “While we prefer to remain operational, we must manage the business responsibly and ensure we are sustainable for the long run.”

Connolly says employees were informed of the decision earlier today and local HR representatives are available to assist them with any questions they may have.

“We do not make these decisions lightly,” says Connolly. “We know we have great people working at these operations and this is in no way a reflection on them or their commitment. However, industry conditions in B.C. are challenging right now and could be for some time.”

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Pino Pucci, Vice President, Tolko Marketing and Sales assured customers that Tolko’s Marketing and Sales team “will continue to support our customers and do our best to minimize any impacts as a result of these operations taking downtime.”

Earlier this month, Tolko announced the closure of its Quest Wood mill in Quesnel in August and cutting the shifts at its Kelowna mill from two to one in July.

The company says the Quesnel closure will impact about 150 employees, while the Kelowna reduction will affect 90 workers.