Canadian Paper Mill in Témiscaming Shuts Down Amid U.S. Tariffs, Threatening Town’s Survival

The RYAM-owned paper mill in Témiscaming, Quebec, has entered an indefinite economic shutdown after the U.S. imposed additional tariffs on Canadian lumber, pulp and paper. With 360 employees now unemployed, the town’s primary employer and economic anchor has ceased operations, causing a sharp drop in local property values and raising fears that essential services could also be lost. The shutdown follows a broader trade dispute between Canada and the United States, where tariffs of up to 50% have hit industries such as steel, aluminium, automobiles and forestry. Local residents, many of whom have worked at the mill for generations, view the closure as a personal attack and warn that the town could become a ghost town if the mill does not reopen before winter, when equipment risk freezing and damage. Efforts by residents to buy back the mill’s facilities have stalled without federal assistance, and the situation highlights the uneven impact of U.S. trade policy on Canadian communities.