Paper Excellence slows operations at Meadow Lake facility due to lack of railway service

Paper Excellence announced Friday that a lack of railway service has caused the company to slowdown production at its Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp facility.

“While we remain committed to servicing our customers’ needs during this slowdown, we are extremely concerned about this railway situation and hope that it can be resolved soon,” Vice President, Operations and Logistics Stew Gibson, said in a release to media.

The lack of service began in late November 2021 and has continued into 2022, according to Paper Excellence Vice-President of Environment, Health & Safety and Corporate Communications Graham Kissack.

He says CN Rail has failed to transport Meadow Lake’s pulp production to ports for months and the mill has exhausted all local storage facilities.

In a statement to CTV News, CN Rail said it remains committed to working with customers and supply chain partners as recent extreme weather in Western Canada, along with North America wide supply chain challenges have impacted cycle times for railcars used in the wood products industry.

“We understand the frustration felt by our customers and we continue to do everything in our power to get their goods to market as quickly as possible,” the statement from CN Rail said.

Paper Excellence said it plans to return the mill to full production once reliable railway service is re-established.

Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp Inc. contributes over $1 million dollars daily into Canada’s economy and employs 190 people, according to Paper Excellence.

Paper Excellence is headquartered in British Columbia and manufacturers pulp, specialty paper and packaging papers.