This week marks the first round of layoffs at the Big River sawmill, and workers want to see more action to protect Saskatchewan’s forestry sector. Brandon Nicholson from the United Steelworkers spoke to reporters in Prince Albert on Friday. “I’ve had members from the community that don’t even work at the mill reaching out to me personally and expressing their concern about what’s going to happen to their community,” he said. “Not just whether mortgages will be paid on time, but what kind of signal that this would send to the future for their home care, for their schools? Is a grocery store viable? All the all these things become now a matter of question.” Earlier this year, sawmill operator Carrier Forest Products announced that it would be curtailing operations at the Big River sawmill, affecting 117 jobs. The company attributed it to tariffs, market conditions and forest loss from last year’s wildfires. Nicholson said increased access to trees further north and a boost in domestic demand for forestry products could help prevent job losses in the sector. “We’ve got operations to build prefabricated homes right in our own local, and we could be using our goods in those operations to build the future of affordable housing in the province.” The province said business and worker support teams have gone out to Big River five times since the layoff announcement. It said it is also helping tariff-impacted workers with the Canada-Saskatchewan Workforce Tariff Response program, supported with $15.6 million in funding over three years. “As of Sept. 30, over $791,000 has been invested in the forestry sector to support approximately 133 workers with eighth different employers in five communities, including Carrier Forest Products Ltd. in Big River prior to their announcement of layoffs,” the province said in a statement. Some workers will remain on site until January. Carrier Forest Products did not respond to CTV News by the time of publication but has previously said it is unsure if the sawmill will remain permanently closed.
