Devastating and heartbreaking news: the Canton paper mill, which has been an anchor of the tiny Haywood County town of Canton for nearly 120 years, is closing it’s doors this summer. A month ago, company officials said that the facility would scale back production by shutting down one of its four machines, but there was no outward indication of a full scale shuttering. Workers were summoned to a series of meetings yesterday afternoon, where they were informed of the company’s decision, leaving about 40 salaried employees without jobs. Racki said that the decision had only been made within the last week, and that it was “almost exclusively a reflection of the market conditions, along with the capital costs that would be needed to upgrade the Canton facility.”
