by Closures were announced within a day of each other, impacting nearly 250 jobs
QUEBEC — Two major Canadian RTA furniture manufacturers have announced closures within days of each other, a development that has caused a major union to call for emergency support for the region’s furniture manufacturing sector.
Unifor, which is known as Canada’s largest union in the private sector, said that Sainte-Croix-based South Shore is closing after 86 years of operation. Announced on April 27, this will impact about 126 jobs.
The union also said Lac-Mégantic, Quebec-based Bestar announced its closure on April 28, a move that it said will impact some 120 union jobs.
News station CBC said that South Shore experienced a 77% drop in sales from 2022 through last year. It said the company attributed its demise to tariffs and a flood of cheap products from China and Vietnam to Canada and the U.S.
In early 2025, South Shore announced it was laying off 115 workers in response to a tariff-related drop in sales. CBC reported that the company said 70% of its sales were conducted in the U.S. around this time.
The union voiced concern about the impact of the closures on the region.
“The closures of these manufacturers, which process locally sourced wood, threaten not only good union jobs in the Estrie region, but an entire industrial supply chain,” Unifor said in a release.
Unifor said it also represents workers at Tafisa in Lac-Mégantic, a key panel supplier for Bestar, and is concerned about the impact on those jobs.”
“When companies shut down one after another, it’s not a coincidence,” said Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Quebec director. “It’s the result of an extremely challenging economic environment where businesses are facing deteriorating market access conditions, compounded by growing dumping practices, particularly from Asia.”
In its statement, Unifor also said that “Canada too often becomes a fallback market for low-cost imports as U.S. trade measures redirect global flows.”
“For our members, this is a shock, and we will be there to support them, stand with them, and defend their interests every step of the way,” Cloutier added. “But we must also act now to strengthen the remaining players in the sector. For us, this is yet another example of the need to build a new industrial strategy for the wood products manufacturing sector. We are calling on the government of Quebec to bring together key stakeholders across the industry and we stand ready to contribute to this effort.”
Home News Now also has reached out to both companies for comment.
