West Fraser Mills to cut 147 jobs in three communities

A total of 147 jobs will be lost as West Fraser Mills eliminates shifts at three of its facilities in northern B.C.

The move is expected to eliminated 77 positions at Fraser Lake Sawmill, 15 positions at Williams Lake Lumber, and 55 positions at Quesnel Plywood and will occur over the course of the fourth quarter of 2022. The company expects to mitigate the impact on effected employees by providing work opportunities at other West Fraser operations.

The company is reducing approximately 170 million board feet of combined production at its Fraser Lake and Williams Lake sawmills and approximately 85 million square feet of plywood production at its Quesnel Plywood mill.

“Access to available timber is an increasing challenge in British Columbia and ongoing transportation constraints have impaired the company’s ability to reliably access markets,” reads a statement issued by the company. “These capacity reductions are necessary to better align West Fraser’s operating capacity with available timber and transport availability.”