Alain Gauthier

The mayor of Témiscaming, Alain Gauthier, says since the announcement by RYAM about its temporary shutdown coming mid-September, he’s been highlighting the tremendous potential of the industrial site. …The plant produces cellulose, pulp, and coated paperboard with an economic shutdown of most operations slated for Sept. 15, because of U.S. tariffs. Gauthier says the potential extends across the Témiscamingue region, adding it has exceptional strengths when it comes to the forestry industry. He says within a radius of about 80 km, the region has the potential to bring together three pulp mills, a softwood sawmill and a hardwood glued-laminated timber beam plant, creating significant opportunities. “We also have a regional reality that allows us to move forward: no woodland caribou-related issues preventing development, no blockades, and a long-standing collaboration with First Nations to ensure the effective and sustainable management of our forest resources,” he says, in a release.