RYAM to suspend operations at Temiscaming mill in Quebec
Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM) is preparing to indefinitely suspend production at its Temiscaming industrial complex in Quebec, Canada, with operations scheduled to stop on September 15. The decision is expected to affect more than 400 employees and represents a major economic blow for the local community, where the mill has been a central industrial presence for almost a century.
Temiscaming is a community of approximately 2,500 residents located close to the Ontario border and around 45 minutes east of North Bay. RYAM’s facility is the municipality’s largest employer, making the consequences of an extended shutdown particularly significant for the surrounding area and its industrial supply chain.
The decision comes at a difficult time for Canada’s forest products sector, which is facing increasing pressure from trade tensions with the United States. Market uncertainty, raw material costs and the need to manage inventories and customer demand are adding to the challenges facing the Temiscaming operation.
RYAM spokesperson Alexandre Boucher confirmed that production will stop on September 15 but did not indicate when operations could resume. “The duration of this shutdown remains undetermined,” Boucher said.
Temiscaming Mayor Alain Gauthier, who previously worked at the facility for more than two decades and served as its general manager, highlighted the unusual nature of the current situation. While the site has experienced temporary production interruptions in the past, the present circumstances are linked to broader economic factors over which the mill and the community have limited control.
A strategic site with a long industrial history
The Temiscaming complex includes assets dedicated to the production of paperboard and high-yield pulp. A separate high-purity cellulose operation at the site has already been idle since July 2024. The future of the paperboard and high-yield pulp businesses has also been under strategic review for several years. In October 2023, RYAM appointed financial advisory firm Houlihan Lokey to explore a potential sale of these assets as part of a broader strategy to optimise its portfolio, improve financial performance and provide additional flexibility to reduce debt and leverage.
The latest decision therefore adds another element of uncertainty to the future of the Temiscaming site. An extended suspension would have consequences not only for the mill’s workforce but also for contractors, suppliers and forestry-related businesses connected to its operations.
For Temiscaming, where the industrial complex has shaped the local economy for generations, the duration of the shutdown and RYAM’s longer-term plans for the facility will now be closely watched.
