Pulp and paper towns need help: mayors

Communities in rural Quebec are in dire need of government helpto survive the uncertainty that has gripped the forestry industry, regional mayors urged during their annual meeting.

Dozens of towns have been rocked by sawmill and paper mill closures in recent years that have left thousands of Quebecers out of work.

The slump, which mayors blame on boththe strong loonie and the softwood lumber dispute, threatens to destroy countless towns, Mayor Gabriel Martel of Saint-Andr-du-Lac-St-Jean, a Saguenay Region community of 500, said at Friday's meeting in Quebec City.

"It's very worrisome, because we don't see the light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

Families that have worked in mills for generations are now facing an unsure future, said Terry Richard, mayor of Otter Lake, a small community in the Pontiac Region, south of Gatineau Park.

"People for many years never left the county. They stayed in Pontiac because their fathers before them worked in the mills and they chose to follow in their father's footsteps," said Richard. "It's basically all they've done all their life and all they want to do."

The federation of mayors would like to see the Quebec government support the forestry industry through investment, andprepareworkers through retraining programs.

Quebec's Forestry Industry Council is also urging the provincial government to help pulp and paper companies regain a competitive edge, through rebates on energy costs and capital gains tax.