TORONTO – Norbord announced it is indefinitely curtailing production at its 100 Mile House, British Columbia oriented strand board (OSB) mill, citing shortages and high prices due to wildfires and the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
“This is a difficult decision in response to extraordinary circumstances,” said Peter Wijnbergen, Norbord’s President & CEO. “We have a first-rate team in 100 Mile House and this curtailment is in no way a reflection on our employees, their commitment to our customers and suppliers, or the local community.”
The company will curtail production starting in August 2019.
This move comes on the heels of several other closures including Canfor announcing the shutdown of its Vavenby sawmill in July; Tolko Industries permanently closing its Quest Wood sawmill and eliminating a shift of employees at a sawmill in Kelowna; and Interfor Corp also announcing it would temporarily curtail production at three of its sawmills in British Columbia.
Norbord said it will continue to supply its current customers and meet expected future customer demand with production from its 11 other operating North American OSB mills, including High Level and Grande Prairie, Alberta.
The 100 Mile House mill has a stated annual production capacity of 440 million square feet (3/8-inch basis). Approximately 160 employees will be impacted by this curtailment.
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