Tag Archives: Tolko

Tolko‘s Lakeview mill, in British Columbia, is undergoing a “short-term closure” starting today, due to weather-related harvesting curtailments.

185 employees are temporarily laid off.

It has been a long wet spring in the Williams Lake area, leaving logging areas too wet for operations. Nearly the entire usable log yard inventory at the mill has been depleted.

The planers at both Creekside and Lakeview are expected to operate for the remainder of the week.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into this,” said Mark Everard, Tolko site manger, of the company’s decision to shutdown, adding the weather forecast simply hasn’t deviated from rain.

Everard said the weather has created two challenges for harvesting timber: the load restrictions placed on roads during inclement weather and the fact that equipment simply can’t get in and out of the woods.

Lakeview has run out of fibre despite the fact the company stockpiled an additional 20 to 25 per cent in its log yards this year compared to last. Due to record productivity, Everard noted, the mill was consuming “more than we normally do.”

Read more:
Tolko Lakeview mill curtailed temporarily (Williams Lake Tribune)

Tolko Industries representatives have asked Williams Lake, British Columbia to reconsider their industrial tax rate.

Tolko’s opinion is that economic conditions have been tough, and that industry in Williams Lake is shouldering too much of the City’s tax burden.

In 2010, Williams Lake industrial tax rate ranked third highest in the province (behind Ladysmith and Tahsis).

Under the City’s proposed 2011 budget, the tax distribution for residential properties is 38 per cent, 23 per cent for major industry and 24 per cent for business. That translates to a proposed tax rate of $5 per $1,000 of assessed value for residential; $88 per $1,000 for industry and $11 per $1,000 of assessed value for business.

“To see tax rates going up in a time when we’ve lost one third of our gross revenues — for the most part, we survive and to have tax rates continue to go up when we’re experiencing this situation is disappointing,” said Tom Hoffmann, Tolko’s Woodlands manager.

Read more:
Tolko wants industrial tax rate reconsidered (Williams Lake Tribune)

The United Steelworkers Union and Tolko have reached an agreement on a “letter of understanding” to allow Tolko to improve their competitiveness by eliminating several positions in the company’s log yard. The goal is for Tolko to be able to secure contracts with timber importers in Asia, allowing the company to re-start its Creekside mill in Williams Lake, British Columbia.

The strategy would see Tolko combining several log yards. This move would result in 7 job cuts, at a savings of $1.2 million to the company.

The potential restart date for the Creekside mill has not been officially determined, although USW Local 1-425 president Bill Derbyshire suggested late May or early June. Because parts of the mill has been idled for some time, extra time may be required because the mill is operational.

Read more from the Williams Lake Tribune:
Tolko’s Creekside mill could re-open

Tolko Industries Ltd.‘s Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan mill will be receiving $1.3 million under the Transformative Technologies Pilot Scale Demonstration Program to support innovation and help expand market opportunities.

Other funding for this project includes a $300,000 contribution from the Government of Saskatchewan. “Funding will come from Saskatchewan’s value-added forestry program,” said Enterprise Minister Jeremy Harrison. “Today’s announcement is consistent with our objective of helping build a more diversified forest sector. It means more jobs and continued growth in our economy.”

Tolko has also invested approximately $1.6 million in the project through cash and in-kind contributions. “This project, which applies research developed with FPInnovations, is a first in North America,” said Parker Snyder, Plant Manager for Meadow Lake OSB. “We commend our government partners for investing in the future of this region and industry.”

“As Canada’s forest sector innovation hub, we believe that through multipartite projects we will be able to demonstrate the viability of new technologies with a view to creating and marketing new products and developing new markets,” said Bob Knudson, FPInnovations’ National Team Leader, Composites. “This project integrates innovative technology developed by FPInnovations and positions the organization as a strong partner of the Forest Industry’s transformation.”

Source: Government of Canada

Fire crews from Kamloops, B.C. spent several hours at the Tolko plywood mill near Heffley Creek yesterday fighting a stubborn fire.

Operations Chief Andy Philpot says the blaze broke out in sawdust and other materials that had built-up underneath the lathe.

The weather conditions yesterday helped keep the fire at bay.

Once the fire was extinguished, Tolko’s maintenance crews took over.

Source:
Stubborn fire at Tolko extunguished (CFJC TV7)

Tolko Industries Ltd. has decided to make the closure of its veneer operation in Kelowna, British Columbia a permanent closure.

The 21 remaining workers of the veneer plant were laid off in October of 2009 and will now be eligible for severence pay. The Kelowna plywood plant has been closed since January, 2007.

The decision to permanently close the facility was due to the long term reduced availability of high quality peeler logs, which has been further impacted by the mountain pine beetle infestation.

The Kelowna site’s sawmill operation and current 170 employees are not affected by this announcement and Tolko remains committed to its continued operation.

Tolko isn’t yet sure what the future of the building is, but it is likely that its equipment will be dismantled and moved to another Tolko operation.

Source:
Tolko Kelowna Veneer to permanently close (Tolko)
Tolko to close veneer plant permanently (Kelowna Capital News)

An explosion caused a fire at Tolko‘s Soda Creek mill in Williams Lake, British Columbia on Monday afternoon.

The explosion was a dust explosion caused by dust in one of the mill’s motor control centres.

“Essentially it caused a fire inside the walls of the sawmill,” says Williams Lake deputy fire chief Des Webster. “When we arrived we had smoke showing on the outside of the building. The fire had started to penetrate the outer walls in various spots.”

The Williams Lake fire department called in the 150 Mile House fire department for backup. It was a tough fire to get at, but once an attack plan was determined, the fire was quickly extinguished. No one was injured and the damage is said to be minor.

The mill is still currently operating, but at a diminished capacity, while wiring is repaired.

Source:
Tolko mill fire follows explosion (Williams Lake Tribune)

Tolko Industries has signed two major new deals during the joint trade mission to China this week. These new contracts will see more than 364 million board feet of lumber heading to China from British Columbia.

The first contract will see Tolko’s Soda Creek Division in Williams Lake, B.C. using primarily beetle wood to produce studs for China.

“This is significant as China has not traditionally been interested in stud lumber” says Pat Bell, Minister of Forests, Mines and Lands. “This will secure the jobs at the Tolko Soda Creek division.”

For the second contract, Tolko will be sending all the product produced by its dimensional lumber mill in Quesnel, B.C. to China.

Sources:
This Trade Mission A Breakthrough (Opinion 250 News)
Trip with Minister Pays Off – Tolko Inks China Deals (AM 1150 News)

Tolko Industries Ltd. has received $2.26 million from the federal government for its kraft paper mill in The Pas, Manitoba.

The funding comes from the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program (PPGTP) and will be used to improve the mill’s energy efficiency and to increase renewable energy production. Alterations will be made to the power and recovery boilers will promote better fuel combustion.

The new equipment will increase the production of thermal energy from wood waste, and black liquor, by close to 114,000 gigajoules a year — enough energy for 2,650 households. This increase will reduce the mill’s need to use fossil fuels to compensate for renewable energy shortfalls — lowering The Pas mill’s greenhouse gas emissions by around 10,000 tonnes per year. This is the equivalent to eliminating the emissions released by 2,600 cars a year.

“We thank the government for actively supporting the pulp and paper industry’s advancement in applying green technologies,” said Bob Snow, Technical Manager, Tolko’s Manitoba Kraft Papers Division. “These Green Transformation Program projects will provide both environmental and socio-economic benefits for our employees and our community.”

Source: Government of Canada

Tolko Industries will be ending its production curtailments in Armstrong and Williams Lake, British Columbia on Monday.

In Armstrong, operations will begin on Monday at the planer mill and log processing, with partial operations in the sawmill.

Full operation will resume at the Soda Creek division in Williams Lake on Monday.

Production will be re-evaluated on a week to week basis.

315 workers have been affected by the curtailments that began in mid-August.

Read more:
Armstrong mill resumes operations (Vernon Morning Star)