SOUND OFF: B.C.’s struggling forest industry needs our help
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THIS WEEK BROUGHT NEWS of more mill closures and curtailments, which hurt our economy as well as the livelihoods of workers and their families. Canfor has announced the shutdown of its Vavenby mill which the mayor of Clearwater says will directly impact 172 employees, and probably double to triple that in contractors and other associated workers. West Fraser is curtailing mill activities for a week this month at five B.C. facilities including one in my own backyard, in Williams Lake. The Soda Creek mill near Williams Lake is also undergoing further curtailments than previously announced by Tolko.
The fact is, the industry is facing a number of pressures that aren’t being properly addressed by John Horgan and the NDP. We see production costs rising while lumber prices keep falling. Jobs are being lost because of a lack of fibre supply, and the situation has been exacerbated by multiple years of devastating wildfires and beetle epidemics.
If all that wasn’t enough, the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. – our largest customer – remains unresolved despite the Premier’s promise to personally intervene in the matter. It’s been two years since he made that commitment, and we haven’t seen any concrete progress.
