(Nicole Reis/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By Nicole Reis

NORSASK LAYOFFS

NorSask slashes workforce by half in response to COVID-19 uncertainty

Mar 24, 2020 | 11:51 AM

NorSask Forestry Products Inc. will be slashing its workforce in half in response to COVID-19 and U.S. market uncertainty.

Al Balisky, president and CEO of Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) Industrial Investments told meadowlakeNOW, 45 sawmill employees will be temporarily laid off and operations will move to a single-shift operation effective March 30.

“As most industries are facing, markets have gone sideways and are uncertain,” Balisky said. “The U.S. housing market is no different and most of our lumber heads to the U.S.”

With the onset of COVID-19, Balisky said the U.S. housing market and lumber demand has dropped nearly 50 per cent.

“In response to that, we’ve been doing our best to minimize the impacts to employees but if we can’t sell lumber, we’ve got to make some adjustments,” Balisky said.

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NorSask typically operates on a two-shift basis but for the duration of the pandemic, on a temporary basis, The sawmill will move from a two-shift operation to one shift.

NorSask is owned by MLTC and has been a part of the Meadow Lake community for 50 years. The sawmill employs nearly 100 local people.

“We value all our employees and the hard work they put into the facility and I know the shareholders, the nine First Nations, are very proud of the operations and their participation in forest economy in northwest Saskatchewan,” Balisky said. “We have every intention of getting back to normal as soon as possible.”

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis@jpbg.ca