MLPI makes one last plea prior to election (audio)

MLPI and the fledgling consortium called Miramichi Fiber called a press conference on Friday to highlight the need to address wood supply for small operations like Miramichi Lumber.

Hal Raper said that unless a fair share of the wood stays in the region, there is a risk that there could only be mega mills in the province, and the small operations could perish.

"Just running 17 weeks doesn't work. That's all we ran in 2013. We need saw logs."

Raper also warned that if there is not a sawmill in the area, there probably won't be a pellet plant because a pellet plant needs by-products from the sawmill. Raper explained that Miramichi Fiber also has a plan to use all the tree and create a value added product like engineered wood beams, and creates pellets fro the residues.

Raper says his plan, and the plywood mill would create a combined 500 direct jobs.

Dan Anderson said it has been a very troubling year for the company. He said his biggest concern is the lack of dialogue about the concern for the jobs in the wood sector, especially during an election campaign.

Liberal candidate Bill Fraser was also at the press conference that was held in the yard of MLPI with a 2 dozen MLPI workers listening after they got finished their shift. Fraser still maintains there has been no dialogue between government ministers or MLA and Jean-Yves Cardinal who want to open the plywood mill across the river. (Spokesperson for Robert Trevors says that is a lie, and that there was more than one meeting, and multiple phone conversations).

Anderson went on to say that all he hears during the election is shale gas. Anderson said they were prepared to move the mill to Blackville and modernize it, but they were told there was no extra wood. "Low and behold, six months later there was an extra 660,000 cubic meters of wood all of a sudden. Within 24 hours we were told point blank that not one stick of that extra wood was going to be for Miramichi mills."

"I would like to think politics would not play a part in this, but my biggest fear that this place will be ignored and we will lose the jobs here. I am fearful the province has made a conscious decision to send the rest of the wood off the river, and there goes the jobs."

What MLPI pays out in the community

• wages over $300,000 a month

• truckers and contractors $650,000 a month

• royalties $350,000 month

• native and private wood $250,000

• trucking $400,000 a month

"This little site puts a lot back in the community and we think a fair allocation is important," said Raper.

Raper said he hope the province is not trading the sawmill for a pellet plant.  Raper elaborated by saying that he didn;t think a pellet mill could survive by processing round wood.  He believes the sawmill needs to be supported because it compliments a pellet mill.

Raper was asked if he thought a change in government would help the business.  He said he was hopeful it would.

A MLPI worker, Anthony Russell, was quick to add his emotional, spit-flying perspective on how the Alward government has ignored the mills plight.

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