Canadian mill town fights collapse from US tariffs — SkimNews
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- The Témiscaming paper mill in Quebec entered an indefinite economic shutdown in early October after US tariffs made operations unviable, idling 360 workers.
- The town's workers and residents are mobilizing to buy the mill back from owner RYAM, hoping to repeat a successful 1973 employee buyout, but say they need government financial support.
- Mayor Alain Gauthier criticizes the Canadian government's response to US tariffs as inadequate, saying "we got into a war with kid's water guns to fight back" and calling for retaliatory duties.
- The Canadian federal government has made $400 million available to support the forestry sector and is working on a solution for the mill, but local MP Sébastien Lemire calls its actions "inaction".
- The mill's closure has caused property values in Témiscaming to plummet and raised fears the town could become a "ghost town," losing essential services.
- Some workers pin hopes on the US midterm elections pressuring President Trump to ease tariffs, after lobbying led him to lift some duties on other Canadian goods last week.
Why it matters: The 50% US tariffs on Canadian wood and paper products are creating localized economic crises in single-industry towns, testing the federal government's pledge to support Canadian workers. The town's survival hinges on a complex rescue requiring both a successful worker buyout and a reversal of US trade policy.
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