Carrier Forest Products says it will indefinitely curtail production at its Big River sawmill beginning October 16, affecting approximately 117 employees.
The company says production will cease this fall, although limited work will continue at the facility until the end of January 2027 to allow for an orderly shutdown.
Carrier emphasized that it has not determined the mill will close permanently and says management will continue reviewing options to restart operations.
Carrier cited persistent weak market conditions, the declining Canadian dollar and rising cross-border financing costs among the reasons for the decision.
It also said last year’s wildfires reduced the volume of timber available to supply the mill.
The company said it had hoped conditions facing the forestry industry and the Big River operation would improve but concluded the curtailment could not be avoided under current circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan NDP is blaming the provincial government for the situation.
In a statement, Forestry Shadow Minister Jordan McPhail accused the government of failing to sufficiently respond to U.S. tariffs and allowing wildfires, disease and insects to damage the province’s forests and undermine investment.
He said the Opposition has proposed allowing dues-free salvage of burned timber and increasing replanting efforts to support forest recovery and industry growth.
The Big River mill is one of the area’s largest employers, and local officials say the impacts will extend to trucking, gravel hauling and other businesses connected to forestry.
The facility previously suspended production in March 2020, when roughly 120 employees were laid off during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It had reopened under Carrier Forest Products in 2014 following several years of inactivity.
(Top photo by Carrier Lumber)