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Operations & Footprint 1 Oct 2026

Domtar and British Columbia reach deal to reopen Howe Sound mill

Domtar and the British Columbia government reached an agreement in principle on 1 October 2026 that positions the idled Howe Sound pulp mill to reopen, with a restart expected in mid-October 2026. The reopening depends on ratification of a new collective agreement by Unifor Local 1119 members, with a vote expected the following week.

Why this mattersA restart would partly offset capacity losses in British Columbia pulp, including Canfor's Northwood closure, which removes more than 240 jobs this autumn.

  • Agreement in principle between the British Columbia government and Domtar reached on 1 October 2026, according to Unifor.
  • The Howe Sound mill is expected to reopen in mid-October 2026.
  • The restart is contingent on ratification of a new collective agreement by Unifor Local 1119 members, with a vote expected the following week.
  • Canfor's Northwood pulp mill in Prince George is scheduled to close this autumn, affecting more than 240 Unifor Local 603 members.
Domtar Canfor mentioned
Sources newswire.ca treefrogcreative.ca
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Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-10-03 · Edited before publication: The second source states the mill is expected to reopen in mid-October 2026; that belongs in the summary and facts. The Unifor membership figure (320,000 workers) carries no information about the event and is cut. Restart contingent on ratification is material to capacity, so the Operations & Footprint topic holds.
  • 2026-10-03 · Edited before publication: Grounded on the agreement in principle of 1 October 2026, the mid-October restart, the Local 1119 ratification vote and the Canfor Northwood closure affecting more than 240 members. The excerpts describe Howe Sound as a pulp mill, not a pulp and paper mill, so the summary is corrected. The ratification condition is reported as a fact of the restart, which keeps this an O