The Eurocan pulp and paper mill in Kitimat will close permanently on January 31, parent company West Fraser announced on October 28.

After many years of ongoing efforts to reduce operating costs and improve results, the company handed down the decision to the community.

“We deeply regret the impact the mill closure will have on our 535 employees, their families and the community,” said Hank Ketcham, West Fraser’s chairman, president and CEO in a news release.

“We will ensure those who are affected are treated with fairness and respect.”

While the announcement of permanent closure rocked Kitimat and the Northwest, mayor Joanne Monaghan said the city will begin working immediately to find a solution.

Since the announcement, Monaghan has been working the phones, speaking to provincial ministers and local residents alike.

“My heart goes out to all the people,” she said.

“I’m hoping that we’ve got a window between now and January when maybe we can get something happening to give a little bit of hope.”

Monaghan said Ketcham called her just prior to last Wednesday’s news release went out to alert her to the bad news.

Monaghan said the Ketchams and Forests minister Pat Bell will be flying to China to meet with four potential “credible” buyers that are currently looking at Mackenzie’s paper mill, closed in 2008.

“There are four that are in the running, and only one can buy it, so maybe we’ve got a hope here,” Monaghan told the Sentinel.

She added she had received phone calls from both Bell and premier Gordon Campbell concerning Eurocan, adding she believes that indicated “they are concerned about us”.

Monaghan said she has also had discussions with Mackenzie mayor Stephanie Killam and former mayor Roger McDonell of Campbell River -  its paper mill closed in 2007.

“I’m trying to get as much guidance as possible just to see what other people did just to keep their communities going.”

The employee union of Kitimat’s pulp and paper mill was as shaken as the rest of the community at the announcement of the impending closure.

The presidents of both Local 298 and 1127 were at an annual wage caucus meeting in Vancouver last week when they were called up for an urgent management meeting in Kitimat.

“Obviously, we’re shocked,” national representative Scott Doherty told the Sentinel at a meeting in the local Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada office last week. 

“It’s a big hit to both communities, Terrace and Kitimat. Once again, a community is being devastated by a closure in the industry. This is a corporate decision, so nobody was aware of the fact that Eurocan was potentially going to shut down,” Doherty

explained. 

“There’s been some indicators that there’s been some trouble with the mill, as is the case in the pulp and paper industry across the province right now....There’s a problem with the industry as a whole, so we were aware of that, but certainly not aware that West Fraser was looking into potentially shutting down the mill permanently, so that’s the shock,” Doherty added.

He said the pulp and paper industry will need to work hard to recover from the blow.

“It’s a sad example of what’s happening in the pulp and paper industry right now,” he said.

“The governments don’t seem to want to listen. The industry doesn’t want support. Sooner or later this industry needs to wake up and find some solutions.”

Presidents Adrian Welsh (1127) and Mary Murphy (298) went through the mill, having discussions with employees following the October 28 announcement.

The union was also busy scheduling information meetings with the employer for local union memberships to attend this week. 

For now, its primary concern is taking care of its employees. In that vein, they were encouraging members to use the resources available in the community, such as counseling.