According Cyberpresse the forestry crisis is severely affecting some regional county municipalities in the Outaouais.

The situation is difficult in these rural regions, where the economy depends largely on the forest industry. This is the case of MRC Papineau, Vallées-de-la-Gatineau and Pontiac where activity rate is ranked the lowest at the provincial level. According the source, only 55% of the population is considered active.

This situation is worsened by rural depopulation, exodus of youth, aging populations, low income and the difficulty to attract investors.

In Pontiac, the mills have closed in turn as pointed out by the Executive Director of the MRC, Remy Bertrand. Alone, the closure of the Smurfit-Stone has caused the loss of 600 jobs at the paper plant, not including indirect jobs.