By 
Local Coalition Seeks to Buy Idled RYAM Témiscaming Mill
A coalition of local managers, unionized workers and First Nations is pursuing the purchase of Rayonier Advanced Materials’ idled Témiscaming mill in Quebec, seeking a locally backed path to restart production and preserve roughly 300 industrial jobs affected by the October shutdown.
By Paul Ploumis
Published October 12, 2026
Key Points
- Potential buyer: A Canadian coalition of local RYAM managers, unionized workers and First Nations.
- Mill status: Production stopped October 4, 2026.
- Employment impact: Approximately 300 workers are currently off the job.
- Site status: A small workforce remains to maintain essential operations and equipment.
- Previous sale process: RYAM has explored the sale of its Témiscaming paperboard and high-yield pulp assets for several years.
- Restart status: No acquisition terms, financing structure or reopening timeline have been announced.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A locally backed Canadian coalition is pursuing the purchase of Rayonier Advanced Materials’ Témiscaming mill in Quebec following the shutdown of production earlier this month.
The group brings together local managers at the mill, unionized employees represented by Unifor and First Nations representatives. According to Unifor, the initiative is intended to explore a locally driven ownership structure capable of securing the facility’s future and restoring industrial employment.
Production officially ceased on October 4, 2026, after an earlier shutdown date scheduled for mid-September was postponed. Approximately 300 employees are now off the job, while a limited number of workers remain at the site to maintain essential operations, infrastructure and equipment.
ScrapMonster Intelligence: A Purchase Is Only the First Step Toward a Restart
The coalition creates a potential ownership path, but it does not yet constitute a restart plan. No purchase price, financing package, operating budget or reopening date has been disclosed.
The mill does have one important advantage: local operating knowledge remains available. Existing managers and unionized employees understand the facility, its equipment and production processes. Keeping essential systems maintained during the shutdown may also help preserve options for a future restart.
RYAM had already been considering a divestiture before the current shutdown. The company engaged Houlihan Lokey in 2023 to explore a sale of its paperboard and high-yield pulp assets at Témiscaming. That process later slowed amid changing market and trade conditions.
The precedent in Témiscaming is unusual and relevant. In 1973, after Canadian International Paper had closed the mill, workers, former managers and community members joined together to purchase and reopen it under the Tembec name. The present coalition is drawing on a similar locally driven model more than five decades later.
The critical question is economic viability. Local ownership can preserve knowledge and align stakeholders around the mill, but a sustainable restart would still require adequate financing, competitive operating costs, viable markets for the mill’s products and sufficient working capital.
RYAM Témiscaming Production Ended October 4
The final Unifor-represented production employees completed their shifts on the morning of October 4.
The shutdown followed several weeks of uncertainty. RYAM initially planned to suspend production in mid-September but later delayed the shutdown until early October.
Unifor said approximately 300 workers are currently off the job.
A smaller group remains at the property to maintain the facility and essential services during the production shutdown.
Coalition Brings Together Workers, Managers and First Nations
The proposed acquisition differs from a conventional third-party takeover because the coalition includes stakeholders already connected to the facility and surrounding region.
Participants include:
- Local managers at the RYAM Témiscaming operation
- Unionized mill workers
- First Nations representatives
Unifor National President Lana Payne said the initiative could provide a route toward Canadian ownership involving partners with a direct interest in the mill’s long-term future.
Unifor Local 233 President Stéphane Lefebvre also emphasized the experience of existing employees and the role that workforce knowledge could play in developing a restart plan.
RYAM Has Explored a Sale of the Assets Since 2023
RYAM’s consideration of a sale predates the current coalition.
In October 2023, the company engaged investment bank Houlihan Lokey to explore the potential sale of the paperboard and high-yield pulp assets located at the Témiscaming site.
The process became more complicated after RYAM indefinitely suspended the site's High Purity Cellulose operation in 2024.
RYAM subsequently continued evaluating strategic options for the paperboard and high-yield pulp businesses while seeking an acceptable transaction value.
The company reported that Paperboard and High-Yield Pulp sales volumes declined 26% year over year during the first quarter of 2026, including a 42% decline in high-yield pulp volumes.
Témiscaming Has Been Rescued by Local Ownership Before
The present effort has a notable historical precedent.
Canadian International Paper closed the Témiscaming mill in 1972. The following year, workers, former managers and community members organized to purchase and restart the operation.
The reopened business became Tembec, which grew into a major Canadian forest-products company before RYAM acquired it in 2017.
That history does not guarantee the success of the current initiative, but it gives the coalition a particularly strong connection to the community’s industrial past.
What Is Confirmed and What Is Still Unknown?
| Issue | Current Status |
|---|---|
| Coalition formed | Confirmed |
| Workers, managers and First Nations involved | Confirmed |
| Mill production stopped | Confirmed — October 4, 2026 |
| Approximately 300 workers off the job | Confirmed by Unifor |
| Purchase agreement signed | Not announced |
| Purchase price | Not disclosed |
| Financing package | Not disclosed |
| Government support | No specific package announced for the acquisition |
| Restart date | Not confirmed |
Restart Plan Remains Under Development
The coalition is now assessing what would be required to restart the mill.
Unifor has not disclosed a transaction value, ownership percentages, financing commitments or a proposed operating structure.
The coalition's partners are expected to release additional information as discussions progress.
Until financing, ownership and operating plans are defined, any reopening should therefore be treated as a potential outcome rather than a confirmed restart.
What to Watch Next
Acquisition structure: Whether the coalition reaches a formal purchase agreement with RYAM will be the first major milestone.
Financing: A restart would likely require acquisition capital, working capital and potentially additional investment in equipment or mill reliability.
Government participation: Federal or Quebec support could become important if the coalition seeks financing or industrial assistance.
First Nations participation: The structure and role of First Nations partners could become an important part of the ownership and regional-development model.
Mill preservation: Maintaining the facility in restart-ready condition while negotiations continue will be important if the shutdown extends.
Market conditions: Paperboard and high-yield pulp demand and pricing will ultimately influence whether resumed production can be commercially sustainable.
ScrapMonster Market Read: The coalition gives Témiscaming a credible local mechanism for exploring a restart, particularly because workers and managers already familiar with the mill are involved. But the most important milestones still lie ahead. A formal transaction, financing plan and commercially viable operating strategy will be required before the initiative can move from community-led rescue effort to an actual mill reopening.