Western Forest Products B.C. Sawmill Restarts Following Recent Shooting
Western Forest Products sawmill workers in Nanaimo will return to the job site in a “soft start” following the shooting deaths of two workers.
Michael Lunn, 62, and Fred McEachern, 53, were killed at the start of the workday by a man with a shotgun. Earl Kelly and Tony Sudar survived the shooting. Separate funerals are planned for both men. Sudar, who was shot in the face, was released from Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Kelly remains in “stable” condition at Victoria General Hospital.
Former millworker Kevin Douglas Addison, 47, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. He is being held in custody for his next court appearance on May 13, 2014.
On Sunday, Brian Butler, president of Local 1-1937, said all but Nanaimo workers would return to work on Monday. Those most affected by the shooting, union members in Nanaimo, would return to work Tuesday and will be offered counseling and meetings with management and company personnel. “Members will not be forced to return to work in the soft start,” said Butler. “If they feel they are not ready, no one is going to pressure them.”
WFP is setting up a security presence at its mills and will be reviewing details with the union, Butler said.
From The Times Colonist: timescolonist.com.
Latest News
Canfor Plans New BC Sawmill
Canfor Corp. stated that to better align manufacturing capacity in British Columbia with the available long-term fiber supply, it is restructuring its BC operations by permanently closing its Chetwynd sawmill and pellet plant and temporarily closing its Houston sawmill for an extended period to facilitate…
U.S. Housing Starts Were Soft In January
U.S. housing starts began the new year ticking downward 4.5% in January from December to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.309 million starts. Single-family starts came in at a rate of 841,000 in January, down 4.3%, while multi-family (five units or more) were at 457,000, down 5.4% from December…
Lumber Among Three Big Input Reductions
Softwood lumber is one of the three largest construction input cost reductions year-over-year from December 2021 to December 2022, according to a recent ConstructionDive market report. Citing Producer Price Index data from December 2022, the report noted that overall…
Biofuels Project Sinks
The Red Rock Biofuels project in southern Oregon appears headed for foreclosure according to notices published in the Lake County Examiner newspaper in late December after the company failed to make principal and interest payments on some $300 million in debt. The notice set a February 4 payment…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.