Maybe Ontario should separate from Canada,instigate wage and price controls A'la Trudope and establish its own currency....and then peg it at 65 cents US.
Cut ROC off
That way the Auto pact and parts makers and steel makers can keep busy with cheap labour as the incentive and not layoff anyone.Chlorinated Paper products can still be manufactured in Ontario till the lakes turn green or every ass in North America has two acres of milled toilet paper for every person.
Then at least the economy will be booming while simultaneously getting rid of the burden of transfer payments.
You will be floating in it.Then with all the money you can pay off 38% of the Canadian Debt Ontario owns with enough left over to bail out Ontario Hydro.
In the process the rest of us will be eternally gratefull
MONTREAL (CP) - Domtar Inc. is cutting 1,800 jobs and closing or selling several paper mills and sawmills in a push to regain profitability as Canada's forestry sector suffers through a prolonged downturn.
The Montreal-based company (TSX
TC) said Wednesday it plans to close a paper mill in Cornwall, Ont., and its No.10 and No.11 paper machines in Ottawa. The Cornwall cuts include 390 positions already eliminated in December 2004.
"Mill closures are very difficult decisions to make, since they impact our employees, their families and the communities where we operate," CEO Raymond Royer said in a release.
"Unfortunately, sustained actions and dedicated efforts by our employees, as well as capital investments by the company, were not sufficient to guarantee the long-term viability of these operations within Domtar."
Employees affected by the cuts will receive financial assistance and be offered access to job-search services, Royer added.
Under the restructuring, sawmills in Grand Remous and Malartic in Quebec will be shut down and the Vancouver paper mill will be sold, Domtar said.
Included in the cuts will be 100 corporate and divisional employees, as well as 200 other operational positions.
The union representing 1,000 workers at the Domtar plants called for Prime Minister Paul Martin to intervene in the forest industry crisis.
"Today's announcement by Domtar that it will close three mills in Ontario and Quebec as well as shut down two paper machines in Ottawa is the latest in a long and disturbing litany of cutbacks and closures," said Brian Payne of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers.
"The Liberals made a $1.5 billion pre-election announcement of financial aid for the industry but we need to see more than an announcement. We need action from Mr. Martin to stop the bleeding."
The union criticized Domtar for its "callousness" in giving no advance notice of the cuts.
"We are willing to look at all alternatives to keep these mills running but Domtar has shown no willingness to work in a constructive way with us or the communities involved," Payne said.
To further reduce costs, the company's North American administrative offices will be consolidated in Montreal and Cincinnati, and Domtar will overhaul its supply chain.
Pre-tax restructuring costs are expected to come in at $505 million, including asset writeoffs of $313 million.
Domtar's cuts follow similar closures by a number of Canadian pulp and lumber companies in recent months as they cope with rising energy costs, weak markets and a stronger Canadian dollar, which has made their products more difficult to sell in the key American market.
"The strengthening of the Canadian dollar has pushed some of our Canadian mills to negative cash-flow generation and we must focus on our most efficient mills in order to return to profitability in the foreseeable future," said Richard Garneau, executive vice-president of operations.
"We believe that these actions, our previously announced dividend cut and other measures to reinforce our support to customers should improve our cash flow by approximately $160 million and constitute an important step toward improving our margins."
Domtar said it is seeking government approval to transfer the wood fibre allocation for Grand Remous and Malartic to its other Quebec sawmills, which would allow about 80 employees to transfer.
It is also working with a partner, in collaboration with the government, on a project that could create over 300 new jobs using the Grand Remous and Malartic operations.
Last week the forestry giant abruptly shut down its Lebel-sur-Quevillon pulp mill in northwestern Quebec, cutting 425 jobs. It cited rising costs and weak markets for pulp, a blow to the town founded as a result of the Domtar mill being built there in the 1960s.
The company warned last month it was considering closures as it posted a loss of $52 million in the third quarter. Domtar also cancelled its dividend.
Domtar is North America's third-biggest producer of free sheet paper, which is used for photocopying, as well as a major producer of business papers and other products.
The company has 10,000 employees across North America and also owns 50 per cent of Norampac Inc., Canada's largest cardboard producer, which also reported a third-quarter loss - of $11 million.
Cut ROC off
That way the Auto pact and parts makers and steel makers can keep busy with cheap labour as the incentive and not layoff anyone.Chlorinated Paper products can still be manufactured in Ontario till the lakes turn green or every ass in North America has two acres of milled toilet paper for every person.
Then at least the economy will be booming while simultaneously getting rid of the burden of transfer payments.
You will be floating in it.Then with all the money you can pay off 38% of the Canadian Debt Ontario owns with enough left over to bail out Ontario Hydro.
In the process the rest of us will be eternally gratefull
MONTREAL (CP) - Domtar Inc. is cutting 1,800 jobs and closing or selling several paper mills and sawmills in a push to regain profitability as Canada's forestry sector suffers through a prolonged downturn.
The Montreal-based company (TSX
"Mill closures are very difficult decisions to make, since they impact our employees, their families and the communities where we operate," CEO Raymond Royer said in a release.
"Unfortunately, sustained actions and dedicated efforts by our employees, as well as capital investments by the company, were not sufficient to guarantee the long-term viability of these operations within Domtar."
Employees affected by the cuts will receive financial assistance and be offered access to job-search services, Royer added.
Under the restructuring, sawmills in Grand Remous and Malartic in Quebec will be shut down and the Vancouver paper mill will be sold, Domtar said.
Included in the cuts will be 100 corporate and divisional employees, as well as 200 other operational positions.
The union representing 1,000 workers at the Domtar plants called for Prime Minister Paul Martin to intervene in the forest industry crisis.
"Today's announcement by Domtar that it will close three mills in Ontario and Quebec as well as shut down two paper machines in Ottawa is the latest in a long and disturbing litany of cutbacks and closures," said Brian Payne of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers.
"The Liberals made a $1.5 billion pre-election announcement of financial aid for the industry but we need to see more than an announcement. We need action from Mr. Martin to stop the bleeding."
The union criticized Domtar for its "callousness" in giving no advance notice of the cuts.
"We are willing to look at all alternatives to keep these mills running but Domtar has shown no willingness to work in a constructive way with us or the communities involved," Payne said.
To further reduce costs, the company's North American administrative offices will be consolidated in Montreal and Cincinnati, and Domtar will overhaul its supply chain.
Pre-tax restructuring costs are expected to come in at $505 million, including asset writeoffs of $313 million.
Domtar's cuts follow similar closures by a number of Canadian pulp and lumber companies in recent months as they cope with rising energy costs, weak markets and a stronger Canadian dollar, which has made their products more difficult to sell in the key American market.
"The strengthening of the Canadian dollar has pushed some of our Canadian mills to negative cash-flow generation and we must focus on our most efficient mills in order to return to profitability in the foreseeable future," said Richard Garneau, executive vice-president of operations.
"We believe that these actions, our previously announced dividend cut and other measures to reinforce our support to customers should improve our cash flow by approximately $160 million and constitute an important step toward improving our margins."
Domtar said it is seeking government approval to transfer the wood fibre allocation for Grand Remous and Malartic to its other Quebec sawmills, which would allow about 80 employees to transfer.
It is also working with a partner, in collaboration with the government, on a project that could create over 300 new jobs using the Grand Remous and Malartic operations.
Last week the forestry giant abruptly shut down its Lebel-sur-Quevillon pulp mill in northwestern Quebec, cutting 425 jobs. It cited rising costs and weak markets for pulp, a blow to the town founded as a result of the Domtar mill being built there in the 1960s.
The company warned last month it was considering closures as it posted a loss of $52 million in the third quarter. Domtar also cancelled its dividend.
Domtar is North America's third-biggest producer of free sheet paper, which is used for photocopying, as well as a major producer of business papers and other products.
The company has 10,000 employees across North America and also owns 50 per cent of Norampac Inc., Canada's largest cardboard producer, which also reported a third-quarter loss - of $11 million.
