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Early this month, a paper mill on Vancouver Island was forced to shut down for six days because of a “lack” of raw material to run the mill.

The mill, owned by Catalyst, stands at the waterfront in Port Alberni, a city that was once the economic envy of much of Canada. At one time, it enjoyed among the highest average per capita incomes anywhere in the country.

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Yet one by one, the lumber, panel, pulp and paper and value-added mills that dominated the local economy either closed or scaled way back. What was once a poster child for what our forest industry could be is now a city with one of the worst child poverty rates in the province.

Now, a bad situation is poised to get much worse.

The Catalyst mill employs 330 people. When it has the wood fibre to operate, it is also one of Port Alberni’s major sources of revenue, generating $4 million annually in industrial property taxes. If today’s temporary closure becomes tomorrow’s permanent loss, Catalyst’s closure will be a significant blow to the community.