QUESNEL, B.C. - Quesnel River Pulp is being curtailed indefinitely, a move Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson called a hard blow for the Cariboo city and the workers who depend on the mill.
Millar Western, the mill’s owner, announced the indefinite curtailment, according to a statement Doerkson issued on November 9. Many of the mill’s workers have been off the job since September, hoping to be called back.
“This is a hard blow for Quesnel and for the workers and families who depend on the mill,” Doerkson said. He said his government was elected to reverse the trend of the last nine years in B.C.’s forest sector, and that getting more fibre on trucks and permits approved “in months rather than years” is how the remaining mills keep running – and how a quiet mill gets a reason to restart.
Doerkson said Millar Western has left the door open to a restart, and that his government will work with the company and the City of Quesnel on what a restart would take. He cautioned there is no overnight fix, and said supports will be there for affected workers.
About the mill
Quesnel River Pulp produces about 375,000 air-dried metric tonnes of softwood pulp a year, according to Millar Western. The company acquired the mill from West Fraser in April 2024, in a deal that also included Slave Lake Pulp and Vancouver Logistics. Millar Western also operates mills in Whitecourt and Slave Lake, Alberta.
Pulp from Quesnel is used in paper and packaging products. Curtailments – temporary shutdowns that a company may extend or make permanent – have become a recurring feature of B.C.’s forest industry as mills struggle with fibre supply and costs.
(Source: Conservative Party of BC, November 9, 2026)
By Apna News
