VERNON, BC Tolko Industries announced that they will replace the capacity that was lost at its Louis Creek plant…
VERNON, BC Tolko Industries announced that they will replace the capacity that was lost at its Louis Creek plant during the recent fire. “We are currently exploring the most cost-effective, long-term opportunities of replacing capacity, and examining the potential of existing and new locations,” said Mike Harkies, General Manager, BC Operations. “We intend to ensure that whatever option is chosen will have economy of scale, leading-edge technology and globally competitive production capabilities to meet the needs of the marketplace.”
The total destruction of the Louis Creek sawmill/planer operations is making the situation analysis an arduous and complex process, and it will likely be four to six weeks for Tolko’s preliminary recommendations. It is anticipated that the entire process of capacity replacement will take as long as twenty-four months to complete. The analysis is further complicated by industry uncertainties and current economic conditions.
Tolko also announced that a donation assistance fund has been set up to assist the Louis Creek employees impacted by the fire. Vern Parkstrom, Area Manager at Louis Creek, says Tolko will match the funds donated by employees at all Divisions and will look at ways to encourage other stakeholders to assist. “We hope this gesture will let the Louis Creek employees know that the thoughts of their fellow employees are with them,” says Vern. “Once the funds are raised, we intend to send them to the North Thompson Relief Fund for distribution.”
Vern went on to say that opportunities are being explored for employment at Tolko’s other operations. Employees interested in relocating to other communities were given an opportunity to indicate their interest at the crew meeting held on Monday, August 11, 2003.
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