Columbia Forest Products to re-open in Rutherglen

Great news for the regional economy.

Columbia Forest Products is reopening its veneer mill in Rutherglen.

Officials with the company say they’re in the intermediate stages of preparations to reopen the plant.

Chamber President Jake Lacourse says it’s certainly welcome news.

In a release, Gary Gillespie, Vice President of Columbia Forest Products’ Northern Operations, says “We have been anxiously awaiting the moment when we could announce that it was time to fire up the boilers and bring folks back to work at the Rutherglen facility,”

Back in 2010, the facility closed in the throes of the great recession, a direct outcome of the general economic downturn and the dramatic increase of imports of birch-faced panels from China into the United States and Canada.

Columbia is investing approximately $1.5 million U.S. with the facility in preparation of a late First Quarter 2016 restart.