Abitibi Closes Mills, Cuts Production |
| Abitibi-Consolidated Inc., the world’s
largest newsprint maker, said June 25 that it is shutting down sawmills and cutting wood
production in Canada because of slumping demand in the U.S. market caused by
Washington’s punitive duties on lumber from Canada. The moves, along with the temporary shutdowns of 22 lumber and planning mills in Quebec and British Columbia for up to a month this summer, will affect 5,700 workers, with about 700 losing their jobs indefinitely in Quebec. The cuts were made about a month after the United States started collecting punitive duties of about 27 percent on Canadian lumber shipped to the United States. The duties squeezed demand for Canadian lumber and had led to reduced exports for Abitibi and other producers. Industry executives have warned that thousands of jobs are threatened by Canadian mill closings, especially in British Columbia and Quebec, which account for most of Canada’s exports. - from The Baltimore Sun |
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