Mondi Paper Sales Announces Price Increase

GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, GreenFirst Forest Products (QC) Inc. has entered into an agreement to sell its interest in approximately 203,000 acres of private forest land to Perimeter Forest Limited Partnership for cash consideration totaling $49.25 million. The Property is located in the boreal forest south of Kapuskasing, Ontario. “The sale of these lands will allow Perimeter to foster long term ecosystem benefits on the Property and unlocks hidden value for GreenFirst shareholders.” Daniel Andres, Perimeter’s Chief Operating Officer noted that “GreenFirst’s legacy of good stewardship of the land combined with its attractive ecological features were value drivers for Perimeter”.

First, the Company is ceasing production at its very small facility in Niagara Falls, New York, effective immediately and maintaining the premises as a distribution centre. Additionally, Supremex will close its facility in Concord, Ontario, as its lease expires in February 2025 and will transfer the location’s most efficient production equipment, primarily to its other Greater Toronto area (“GTA”) envelope plants in Mississauga and Etobicoke over the coming months. These measures will not result in significant headcount reduction as the vast majority of employees will be relocated within the Company’s existing operations. Related to these moves, Supremex will record restructuring charges of approximately $2.7 million before taxes for a period extending from the third quarter of 2024 through the first quarter of 2025. “With the rising cost of real estate, consolidating envelope production in the GTA will significantly reduce fixed costs and allow us to optimize capacity utilization throughout our network as we methodically pursue the execution of our North American expansion strategy,” said Stewart Emerson, President and CEO of Supremex. “In addition to optimizing the equipment base in the Toronto region, some redundant equipment will be re-deployed to U.S. facilities, providing customers with superior service and high-quality products at the most affordable cost. Finally, we expect the operating leverage resulting from these initiatives to improve the profitability and cash flow generation of our envelope activities.”

Paper Excellence Canada announced that 1057863 B.C. Ltd, Northern Pulp Nova Scotia, Northern Timber Nova Scotia and other related non-operating affiliates (collectively, “Northern Pulp”) have obtained an initial order under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA”). The initial order stays proceedings against Northern Pulp in order to provide it with an opportunity to restructure its business and financial affairs. Paper Excellence Canada has not sought relief in the CCAA proceedings. Northern Pulp owns a pulp mill in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. The pulp mill, which had been operational since 1967, was forced to stop production by January 31, 2020, after the Province of Nova Scotia’s decision to require Northern Pulp to cease using the Boat Harbour Effluent Treatment Facility (BHEFT). This left the mill with no ability to treat or transport pulp effluent. Since January, Northern Pulp has been conducting a safe and environmentally sound hibernation of the mill, which would allow it to reopen in the event a proposed new Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) receives the necessary approvals.