Smurfit-Stone announced late Friday afternoon it plans to close its Portage-du-Fort pulp mill as of Oct. 31, citing the poor health of the forestry industry.

The closure means a loss of 218 full-time jobs in the Pontiac.

Employees agreed to cut wages by up to 12 per cent last summer to keep the plant open on the Ontario-Quebec border.

Smurfit-Stone has been one of the Pontiac's biggest employers