Tembec idles two B.C. mills for at least 2 weeks

Forestry company Tembec said Tuesday that tough market conditions are again forcing it to idle production at some of its mills, this time in southeastern British Columbia.

The Montreal-based company said it will shut down two sawmill and planer mills in the East Kootenay region, in Elko and Canal Flats.

The Elko sawmill/planer mills complex will shut down for a minimum of two weeks commencing Oct. 1, and the Canal Flats sawmill/planer mills will take corresponding downtime starting on Oct. 15.

The two mills employ about 480 people.

The curtailments are in addition to shutdowns announced last weekat the company's facilities in Timmins and Kirkland Lake in northernOntario and the western Quebec communities of La Sarre and Bearn.

"These shutdowns are due to a combination of factors," said Dennis Rounsville, president of Tembec's forest products group.

"These include the sharp decline in demand and prices for lumber and the impact of the high value of the Canadian dollar."