A Prince George wood manufacturer says Ottawa’s new $12-million forestry fund is far too small as tariffs and industry losses hit B.C. mills.
A Prince George wood manufacturer says Ottawa’s latest forestry support package is nowhere near enough for a British Columbia industry battered by U.S. tariffs, mill curtailments and job losses.
The federal government announced a new $12-million fund Thursday that Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said would prioritize 14 projects intended to help diversify Canadian wood production away from reliance on the United States. The announcement came as Canadian softwood lumber continues to face U.S. import fees that the CBC reported are currently more than 35 per cent.
John Brink, who operates three wood manufacturing plants in and around Prince George, called the funding inadequate for the scale of the crisis facing companies like his. He said his workforce has fallen from about 400 people to roughly 30 over the past year and that he has not been able to access any of the support announced so far.
“This is an insult,” Brink told CBC News. “It’s peanuts compared to what is required.”
Federal officials have said they are committed to helping B.C.’s struggling forestry sector. Hodgson said the government has previously committed $2.5 billion in forestry support, including $500 million each for softwood lumber loan guarantees and tariff loans for firms facing liquidity shortfalls. Another $500 million has been earmarked for forest-sector funding programs, including those focused on wood-based building products and Indigenous-led projects.
The pressure on Ottawa has been building in British Columbia, where tariffs and other market pressures have contributed to hundreds of job losses and dozens of closures or curtailments at mills and manufacturing plants. Earlier this month, Premier David Eby questioned whether the federal government understood the scale of the damage in the province after a $1-billion loan program was announced for steel, aluminum and copper industries.
Appearing with Hodgson on Thursday at a separate announcement, Eby said he had been reassured that forestry would receive the support it needs. B.C. Wood CEO Brian Hawrysh also said he was hopeful more comprehensive relief would come soon, though he did not know the details.
B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said in a statement that the province wants to work with Ottawa to transform the sector, while urging the federal government to bring forestry the same level of commitment it has shown other industries.
For Brink, the test will be whether announced programs move quickly enough, and at a scale large enough, to keep remaining operations alive.
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