Canfor Shutting Two Northern BC Sawmills Affecting 500 Staff, Blames US Tariffs

Softwood lumber is pictured along the Fraser River in Richmond, B.C., on April 25, 2017. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward

Canfor Corp. has announced it is shutting two northern British Columbia sawmills in a move it says will affect about 500 workers, partly blaming “punitive” U.S. tariffs imposed last month.

It said in a statement Wednesday that shutting the Plateau mill in Vanderhoof and its Fort St. John operation would also remove 670 million board feet of annual production capacity.