Media Release – October 4, 2005

Ron Rucks, President of Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) Local 1120 remains optimistic in the face of Weyerhaeuser’s announced closure of its Prince Albert facility earlier today. Rucks said today, “This is a reasonably modern mill with a highly skilled work force, fibre costs are low and the workforce and the community are committed to working together in finding a way to keep this mill open.” Rucks, who has been appointed by Premier Calvert to sit as a member of the Closure Task Force which was announced earlier today, went on to say, “It is shameful that this employer wants to shut down a perfectly viable facility. We can only hope that a buyer can be found that is prepared to make a real and long term commitment to the community of Prince Albert and to the Province.”

In reacting to Premier Lorne Calvert, announcement concerning the Task Force CEP Western Region Vice President Dave Coles said, “We applaud the quick response by this government in announcing a task force with the mandate to examine this closure and to seek alternatives. We will work closely with them and assist them, in any way we can. Our union is committed to doing everything we can do to save this mill.” Coles went on to say, that if we cannot find a way to keep this mill operational the impact on the Prince Albert area will be huge. He said, “It isn’t just the more than 600 people working in the plant. When you calculate the spin off jobs, the potential jobs loss in the community, with companies and contractors which provide services to the plant, that number could rise to as many as 2000 jobs.”

CEP Local 1120 represents over 600 members who work for four separate companies employed in work directly tied to the mill. CEP is a broad based trade union representing 162,000 workers in a wide variety of industries across Canada. In Saskatchewan the 10,000 CEP members work in the pulp and paper industry, the IT sector, trucking, the petro-chemical industry, potash mines, the television industry and at SaskTel, SaskPower, SaskEnergy and other Crown Corporations.

For more information contact:

Ron Rucks
President CEP Local 1120

Dave Coles
Western Regional Vice President
Prince Albert, Vancouver, B.C.
Phone (306) 764-5133 Cel (604) 240-7284

Gord Hunter,
National Representative - Regina
Phone (306) 777-0005
Cell (306) 539-2007
2365, 13 th Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 0V8