Global market conditions for lumber have changed rapidly as a result of a number of factors, not least of which is the Covid-19 situation. The company has therefore had to make the difficult decision to curtail some of its operations.
Effective Sunday, April 5th, 2020, all of Sinclar’s lumber manufacturing operations have been curtailed, including Lakeland Mills in Prince George, Nechako Lumber in Vanderhoof and Apollo Forest Products in Fort St. James, for a period of three weeks. Inventory will continue to ship from lumber operations for one week.
At this time, Premium Pellet in Vanderhoof and Winton Homes mills in Prince George will remain in operation to meet current demand for their products, while observing all recommended public health guidelines. These decisions will be re-evaluated on a regular basis.
“I understand this decision will cause hardship for our employees and their families. It was an incredibly hard decision to make,” said Stewart. “Unfortunately, given the current market conditions globally, the decision to curtail was a question of when, not if. It was our strong belief that curtailing at this critical time, while the world battles Covid-19, was the right thing to do as it would help reduce the risks to our community, and it allows many of our employees to be at home with their families during a very critical time.”
Sinclar Group Forest Products operates three primary mills (sawmills and planer mills) and two secondary (value-added) mills in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Sinclar operations include Apollo Forest Products (Fort St. James), Nechako Lumber Co. (Vanderhoof), Lakeland Mills (Prince George), Winton Homes & Cottages (Prince George) and Premium Pellet (Vanderhoof).