A mill in a small town west of Kamloops that employed 176 people has now shut down for good.
The West Fraser sawmill in Chasm, located between Clinton and 70 Mile House, closed down on Sept. 8. Thompson-Nicola Regional District Area E director Sally Watson says some workers have moved on to jobs in the oil patch.
“Families are being transferred to different mills and moving out. We have men who used to work at the Chasm mill, and women, now working in camp jobs. So they’re saying goodbye to the wives or their husbands and their children, and going away for two or three weeks at a time.”
Watson was asked if the situation is a crisis for her region.
“Absolutely. It is very, very hard on the families. Some of them are lucky enough to be able to go back to school and stay in their own dwelling, but quite a few have had to go to work three or four hours away. Some eight hours away,” she says.
“It is very concerning. These people are part of our community. It affects our schools, our volunteer organizations, our volunteer firefighters. It’s everything… It’s getting ugly.”
West Fraser blamed “well-documented” challenges for B.C.’s forest industry as the reason why it has closed down its mill in Chasm, when it was announced back in June.
The company has also permanently cut one shift at its mill in 100 Mile House which has put another 34 people out of work.