Local leaders say paper mill is safe

Aug 25, 2026 | 7:24 AM

Port Alberni’s 80-year old paper mill is safe according to local leaders.

The economic centre of the city is now reeling from partner pulp mills closing, high fibre prices, and Trump’s tariffs, creating a cloud of concern.

Courtenay – Alberni MP Gord Johns said governments have given successive ownership companies millions of dollars in funding and tax breaks, and he’s been assured by the current owners Domtar that the Port Alberni paper mill is safe from closure.

“The indications that I got in my conversations with the company is that there is no threat of imminent closure in Port Alberni, so that was positive, and all indicators right now is that operations aren’t under threat,” he said.

Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions agrees.

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“We know that we always have to be aware of what’s going on in the greater economy, however, we understand from Domtar that there is a commitment to our community that remains strong,” she said. “They are significant in our community and extremely important in our community.”

In an e-mail to The PEAK, Domtar’s Senior Manager of Strategic Communications Brenda Martin, said they do not anticipate any disruption to the mill’s production schedule or their ability to meet customer commitments.

Industry analysts long believed that after Elk Falls mill closed, Port Alberni would be next before Powell River, with Crofton carrying the company

The mill, which for the past decade has made specialty food-grade paper, employs 350 people and supports hundreds of secondary jobs.

Domtar has closed 5 of their 7 BC mills with only Port Alberni and the Skookumchuk mill in East Kootenay still operational.

by David Wiwchar

Local leaders say paper mill is safe

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