Final Mackenzie mill closes

Mackenzie, B.C., has suffered another blow with Canfor announcing the "indefinite closure" of the final sawmill still operating in the central Interior lumber town.

Canfor said Tuesday thatthe company will cease operations there by the end of June and 200 workers are being laid off indefinitely.

More than 1,000 members of Mackenzie's workforceare already out of work after the town's three other sawmills, a paper mill, and a pulp mill recently closed.

AcrossB.C. the story is much the same:a drop in the demand for lumber caused by a slowdown in the U.S. housing market has closed dozens of other mills and related forestry operations, leaving more than 10,000 forestry workers without jobs.