
The Aspen Planers mill in Merritt. (Photo via Google Maps)
Aspen Planers has restarted its operations in Merritt, which had been closed since the middle of December, owing to the lack of steady log supply.
The closure of the mill put about 150 employees in Merritt – as well as several contractors and logging truck drivers – out of work just before the holiday season.
While the mill was expected to open in early January, company executives had said at the time that the reopening date was subject to government approval over cutting permits and market conditions.
Bruce Rose, executive vice president with Aspen Planers parent company, AP Group, says the Merritt mill will be processing coastal cedar logs that are coming from northern Vancouver Island as their local cutting permit applications remain unapproved.
The logs are being shipped by sea until it reaches the Fraser River where it is dewatered and taken by trucks to the mill on Quilchena Avenue in Merritt.
At this time, its not clear how long the mill will remain open, as Rose says their log supply is still up in the air.
“While there hasn’t been any clarity provided by the Ministry of Forests, we are led to believe that cutting permit approvals are stalled due to reconciliation negotiations between various Nicola Valley First Nation bands and the provincial government. It is understandably frustrating for laid-off workers who cannot make a living while these issues are being addressed,” he said.
“We continue to welcome conversations about improving the permitting and forestry management processes to ensure that reconciliation and conservation objectives are being met, while the hardworking people who earn their livelihoods can remain employed. It is very simple: no cutting permits means no logging, no jobs, and no forestry-related economic activity in and around the Nicola Valley.”