At its November 27 meeting, the Council of Mayors adopted a resolution calling on the Natural Resources and Forests Ministry to take action to maintain operations at the Commonwealth Plywood sawmill in Rapides-des-Joachims. For economic reasons, the company plans to shut down its operations indefinitely as of December 19, 2024, affecting 23 workers.
“The forestry industry is a historic pillar of our Pontiac economy. The announcement of the temporary shutdown of the Commonwealth Plywood sawmill, just a few weeks before Christmas, is devastating for our MRC and the municipality of Rapides-des-Joachims. The Natural Resources and Forests Ministry must assume its responsibilities and announce measures to facilitate the resumption of activities,” says Jane Toller, Warden of the MRC Pontiac.
Commonwealth Plywood reopened its sawmill in Rapides-des-Joachims in February 2023 after major investments. ‘’Shortly afterwards, the Natural Resources and Forests Ministry significantly reduced the volume of guaranteed wood Commonwealth Plywood could cut. The Ministry also terminated a major funding program to help defray the costs of building and repairing forestry roads, thus contributing to a more significant increase in supply costs for the sawmill.’’, adds Warden Toller.
On the MRC Pontiac side, the Warden assist to a special meeting of the FQM Forestry Committee to discuss an action plan considering the current forestry crisis in the Outaouais. By adopting resolution C.M. 2024-11-35, the Council of Mayors wishes to express its support for Commonwealth Plywood and the Municipality of Rapides-des-Joachims and demands that the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry reinstates the financial assistance program for the construction and rehabilitation of forestry roads, as well as the original wood allocation to Commonwealth Plywood at the Rapides-des-Joachims sawmill.
