AbitibiBowater has agreed to keep the heat on at the recently closed Beaupré mill near Quebec City if the local group of union leaders and politicians requesting the heat agrees to pay the cost.

If the mill is heated, the paper machines can remain in the mill without a threat of damage by freezing. The cost of heating the facility is estimated to be $4 million to $5 million.

According to Beaupré Mayor Henri Cloutier, AbitibiBowater seems open to the idea of selling the plant and waving a non-competition clause - provided the price was right.

340 workers are now without work after AbitibiBowater closed its Beaupré mill last week.

Last month, AbitibiBowater announced it will suspend all or some operations at five of its North American plants - including three in Quebec and one in Ontario - by Oct. 31. The moves will affect about 1,500 jobs.

The company has already closed four mills and eliminated 800 jobs in Quebec since 2007.

Source:

Mill closing a 'disaster' for town - Abitibibowater decision means 340 high-paying jobs will vanish today in rugged region (The Gazette)