Prince George Councillor Urges Jim Pattison to Deliver Final Cheques to Laid-Off Canfor Workers
Subhadarshi Tripathy
8/3/20263 min read
A Prince George city councillor is challenging billionaire Jim Pattison to personally hand out final paycheques to workers losing their jobs as Canfor closes its Northwood Pulp Mill.
Pattison owns the Jim Pattison Group, which is the majority shareholder in Vancouver-based forestry company Canfor.
The Northwood closure is expected to result in approximately 300 layoffs, adding to hundreds of jobs lost through other Canfor mill closures across British Columbia in recent years.
Councillor Calls for Personal Accountability
At a July 28 news conference, Coun. Brian Skakun, a former Canfor employee, said Pattison should meet affected workers as they leave the mill for the final time.
“If Jimmy Pattison really wants to live by his decision, then I would encourage him to come out to these mills when they’re shut down and hand out the last cheques to each employee personally and say, ‘I am sorry for what is going on,’” Skakun said.
Forbes estimates Pattison’s net worth at approximately $11.9 billion.
Skakun accused Canfor of placing shareholder interests ahead of the communities that supported the company’s growth.
“I think Jimmy Pattison could easily reverse this decision, invest more into pulp mills and make sure these families have jobs into the future,” he said.
His comments reflect broader criticism from local leaders who question whether Canfor is doing enough to support communities affected by its closures.
Company Grew From B.C. Roots
Canfor began with a 28-person mill on the banks of the Fraser River in New Westminster, according to the company’s website.
It expanded rapidly alongside British Columbia’s forestry industry, acquiring timber rights and establishing operations on Vancouver Island, in Grande Prairie, Alta., and in Prince George.
The company’s pulp and paper operations became a major employer as Prince George grew during the 1960s.
Canfor’s presence became deeply embedded in the region over subsequent decades. The company acquired naming rights for a lecture theatre at the University of Northern British Columbia and both of Prince George’s public swimming pools.
As Canfor expanded, it also established a substantial international presence, acquiring operations at 17 locations in the United States and 27 in Europe.
In 2024, the company spent nearly $73 million US to acquire new operations in Arkansas. Weeks later, it announced mill closures in Vanderhoof and Fort St. John, B.C., citing factors that included U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber.
Company Accused of Retaining Forestry Licences
Canfor has also faced accusations of holding forestry licences in communities after shutting down local mills, potentially preventing new operators from accessing the fibre needed to establish replacement facilities.
The company has since begun selling assets in northern B.C., including a recent sale to a consortium of First Nations west of Prince George.
Nak’azdli Whut’en elected Chief Colleen Erickson, whose nation is among the buyers, questioned whether multinational companies have adequately protected regional jobs and managed local forests.
“Local fibre should go to local mills so that local communities benefit,” Erickson said in a statement.
“Not multinationals who take profits outside of the region while mills close, local businesses suffer, and jobs are lost.”
Canfor Calls Closures ‘Gut-Wrenching’
Canfor has described its recent mill closure decisions as “gut-wrenching,” citing difficult market conditions in British Columbia and Alberta, where its Fox Creek sawmill is also closing.
The company has pointed to U.S. tariffs, weak global markets and a declining sustainable fibre supply as factors affecting its operations.
“These are incredibly difficult decisions that impact our employees, their families, and our local communities,” Canfor CEO Susan Yurkovich said during a conference call Thursday, according to The Canadian Press.
“We’ve made changes across our platform that are gut-wrenching, but we are putting our business on a more sustainable footing.”
The comments followed the release of Canfor’s second-quarter financial results.
The company reported a quarterly loss of $18.5 million, an improvement from its $202.8-million loss during the same period a year earlier.
The latest loss amounted to 16 cents per diluted share for the quarter ending June 30, compared with $1.71 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2025.
Quarterly sales increased to $1.53 billion from $1.38 billion a year earlier.
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