The St-Michel Inc sawmill, the largest employer in the city of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, announced on Friday the suspension of its activities in response to the increase in customs duties by the American government.
“This is a very difficult decision to take and we have a great thought for our employees, subcontracting and all the families affected directly or indirectly by this decision,” wrote the president and general manager of the company, Jean-François Champoux, in a press release.
The sawmill, which employs 250 workers, puts its activities on break until October 13 to ensure its long -term survival.
The Trump administration had increased customs duties on Canadian wood wood, from 7.6 % to 20.56 %.
The sawing plant and forest operations of the St-Michel Inc. will be stopped next Monday. All of the company’s operations will be suspended from August 18, with the closure of its planing plant.
To maintain its activities, the company calls for the award of Bill 97, which intends to accelerate the implementation of forest projects and simplify territorial governance, in particular by reducing environmental evaluation processes and public consultations.
The company also calls into question the pressures by First Nations to obtain territorial rights in the sector. “This situation makes harmonization with the Manawan community impossible without using development agreements which are too expensive for our business. It is the responsibility of the Government of Quebec to agree with them, ”added Jean-François Champoux.
Read the article “Customs duties go from 25 % to 35 %”
