NewPage paper mill officially shut down
Posted Sep 16, 2011 12:47:29 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The NewPage paper mill in Point Tupper has completed an indefinite shutdown of its two paper machines, marking the end of an era for the 49-year-old operation.
A spokeswoman for the Point Tupper mill says the second of the company’s two paper machines stopped running at 8 a.m. Friday morning.
Patricia Dietz says most of the mill’s 600 employees will be laid off after finishing shifts in the next ten days.
She says by October 1st, a skeleton crew of 50 people will be left to maintain the plant while a new buyer is sought.
A spokesman for hundreds of unionized employees says the workers are optimistic a solution will be found.
Steve MacDougall says they want to stay positive as the company searches for potential buyers.
Liberal Michel Samson represents the area in the legislature and says it’s been a time of anxiety for everyone.
NewPage is blaming high power costs, a strong Canadian dollar and rising shipping costs for the closure.
Port Hawkesbury Mayor Billy Joe MacLean says the shutdown is a sad moment in the region’s history, but he says he’s hopeful that a buyer will be found for the mill, which has lost $50 million U.S. over the last year, according to an affidavit NewPage filed with the province’s Supreme Court.
