ONTARIO (From news reports) -- Add the Gogama sawmill to the mix of Interfor's of Ontario mills seeing layoffs and drops in production.
Jacques Jean, United Steelworkers Local 1-2010 president, which represents mill workers, estimates 50 of 60 employees at the sawmill are laid off with the exception of some maintenance workers and loader operators.
Operations are expected to resume on November 3, with only one shift running, instead of two, "and this is indefinitely Therefore around 25 employees will not return on November 3," Jean said in an email.
The mill is 190 kilometres north of Sudbury. It was picked up by Interfor in 2022 as part of a $490 million acquisition of Eacom Timber and its mills in Ear Falls, Elk Lake, Gogama, Nairn Centre, and Timmins, along with an engineered wood plant in Sault Ste. Marie.
B.C.-based Interfor, which has not been announcing individual mill closures or production curtailments, responded with general statement calling these measures "temporary adjustments to its lumber production plans for the fourth quarter of 2025 in response to ongoing market challenges."
The company previously said it was curtailing lumber production by 26 per cent across the board at its mills in British Columbia, Ontario, the U.S. Pacific Northwest and in the American South due to tariffs imposed on Canadian lumber by the Trump administration.
In mid-October, the U.S. imposed a 10 per cent tariff on lumber on top of an existing 35 per cent tariff.
Interfor said it will monitor market conditions and make adjustments as needed.
The provincial NDP is calling on the Ford government to produce a long-term strategy to protect forestry jobs.
"We've seen Espanola, Terrace Bay, Kap Paper, Ear Falls, and now Gogama all face closures or curtailment" said Mushkegowuk-James Bay Guy Bourgouin, the NDP's forestry critic, in a news release.
"How many more of these will it take for the government to put forth a tangible, sustainable forestry plan to protect the workers, communities and the industry for the future? Why are we seeing a pattern of crises and closures and a government being reactive instead of putting in the work and being proactive with concrete solutions and innovation for growth? These are families' livelihoods we are talking about, in single industry towns this hurts our residents tremendously."
The NDP is calling for a forestry strategy that includes long-term power and co-generation agreements; government investments for plant modernization, green and innovation; ministry coordination to connect forestry to housing and infrastructure development; and the introduction of programs providing worker transition support and retraining programs.
"Every time a mill closes, we lose good-paying jobs and see more people leave the North," added NDP Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas. "For a small town of about 300 people, like Gogama, 50 layoffs are devastating. When are we going to see this minister and this government deliver a real strategy that will support our mill workers and support our forestry industry?"
In a statement released through the NDP, Jean also advocated for a government forestry plan.
"How many mills need to curtail production before the government realizes the need for a real plan. Our members want to work, they want job security, and they deserve a government that has their back."
