Interfor will close its Ear Falls sawmill indefinitely, affecting 160 workers represented by Unifor Local 324. The northern Ontario closure was announced Oct. 17.
The shutdown adds to mounting job losses in Ontario’s forestry sector, following the recent closure of Kap Paper in Kapuskasing.
Unifor is asking municipal, provincial and federal governments to meet immediately to develop a response plan for forestry workers and communities.
“We’re well beyond warning signs in the forestry sector and are now seeing widespread job loss in response to the economic warfare waged by the United States,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We are calling on municipal, provincial and federal governments to sit down with us immediately to develop a plan forward for our forestry workers, their families and the many communities that can only thrive if the forestry sector survives.”
The union says no forestry operation in Ontario is safe if the Ear Falls mill can close. Ontario’s forestry sector employs more than 128,000 people, according to the union.
“We can’t continue with a wait-and-see approach with the attacks on Canada’s forestry sector,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. “If the Ear Falls sawmill isn’t safe, no forestry operation in this province is safe and we can’t sit and watch while Ontario loses a sector that provides more than 128,000 good-paying jobs.”
Unifor has called for coordinated government discussions to develop an industrial strategy for forestry and other sectors exposed to tariffs. The union says the strategy should protect jobs, defend against U.S. economic pressure and invest in modernizing the sector.
Unifor represents 320,000 workers across Canada, making it the country’s largest private-sector union.
