Wednesday January 15, 2025 | PRINCE GEORGE, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Today in Prince George, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Diana Gibson and BC Forests Minister Ravi Parmar announced some new investments for sustainable jobs for resource workers in communities throughout BC.
Their announcement was held at the BC Natural Resources Forum at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre.
Through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF), the Government of B.C. is contributing as much as $5.1 million toward seven forest-sector capital projects and five planning projects in communities throughout the province.
Forestry-sector manufacturers receiving funds from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund are in Surrey, Kamloops, Penticton, Cranbrook, Kelowna, Squamish, Burns Lake, Fruitvale and Lavington.
B.C. supports forest-sector manufacturing
BC Government News Release – Jan 15, 2025
New support for forest-sector manufacturers throughout the province will create and protect jobs, strengthen local economies and diversify the range of fibre sources used to manufacture high-value, made-in-B.C. forest products.
“Using available fibre wisely is an important part of B.C.’s plan for sustainable forestry,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is partnering with forestry companies throughout the province to grow and stabilize their operations and get the most out of our fibre supply, while producing more made-in-B.C. engineered wood products.”
Through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF), the Government of B.C. is contributing as much as $5.1 million toward seven forest-sector capital projects and five planning projects in communities throughout the province. These projects are supporting forest-product manufacturers to innovate their business lines and grow their operations, supporting a strong and resilient forest sector throughout B.C. that is focused on producing leading-edge, high-quality wood products and biomaterials.
Located in Maple Ridge, Cedarland Forest Products Ltd. produces cedar lumber and profiled cedar products, such as siding, decking and panelling. It will receive as much as $1.3 million to buy and install new high-temperature kilns and a moulder, allowing the company to diversify its fibre sources to include underutilized species and reduce its reliance on old-growth cedar. The project will enable Cedarland to produce new thermally modified wood products, access new markets and create 23 new forestry jobs.
Gilbert Smith Forest Products is a family-owned-and-operated lumber mill in Barriere, manufacturing specialty cedar products. It will receive as much as $1.1 million for facility modernization and new equipment that will enable the production of new, in-demand products from a wider range of fibre inputs. This project will expand the range of value-added products made in-house, increase productivity and create nine jobs.
“B.C. has some of the most creative, innovative and motivated forestry companies on the planet,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund helps businesses scale up, increase productivity and create new jobs by getting the most value out of every tree we harvest.”
The BCMJF is part of a series of programs the Province has introduced to support sustainability in B.C.’s forestry sector. To date, the BCMJF has provided incentives with more than $600 million flowing into forest-product manufacturing, leading to the direct creation and protection of more than 3,000 forest-sector jobs. Most of these jobs are in regional, remote and Indigenous communities.
Nearly one-quarter of all wood-product manufacturers in B.C have applied to the program, demonstrating that producers are investing in the future of forestry. The funding has spurred significant growth in off-site, prefabricated housing-component manufacturing, allowing more homes to be built faster using B.C. wood.
The BCMJF has also led to increased production of mass timber, engineered wood and bioproducts, with B.C. based companies leading the way in innovative uses of waste wood, residuals and available fibre for high-value, high-demand products and exports. The Province has partnered with 69 forest-product manufacturers with more to come, dedicating more than $86 million to the industry in collaboration toward a stable, sustainable forest sector in B.C.
For one example, in May 2024, the BCMJF contributed as much as $8 million to help Tolko Industries expand its Heffley Creek operation, including construction of a facility that will house a new Heffley Creek Engineered Wood Division.
“Tolko’s history began, and remains, strongly rooted in B.C.,” said Pino Pucci, CEO and president, Tolko Industries Ltd. “Today’s announcement enables us to further invest to support our people, customers, communities and forests – fostering innovation and leveraging B.C.’s globally superior technical fibre-strength properties to deliver quality products to our customers. We appreciate the B.C. government’s support of strategic investments that will accelerate our growth as a producer, marketer and distributor of specialty, value-added and engineered wood products.”
Clean and Competitive: A Blueprint for B.C.’s Industrial Future lays out the Province’s work to drive new investment, create new jobs and seize new opportunities in growing clean-energy and sustainable industries. Supporting local manufacturing sectors helps leverage B.C.’s strengths to create good jobs and opportunities in every community, and will improve the quality of life, while strengthening B.C.’s diverse economy.
Quick Facts:
* The BCMJF supports high-value industrial and manufacturing capital projects in all sectors that will create and protect well-paying jobs.
* More than $1 billion is being invested across the 121 capital projects funded through the BCMJF, with almost $128 million committed from B.C. so far, unlocking nearly $900 million in private-sector and other public investment.
* Every $1 million invested results in $7 million in total direct capital investments in B.C., $590,000 in tax revenue to the Province and $5.3 million in provincial GDP during the capital construction phase.
* Funded projects will create more than 1,800 jobs and protect more than 2,300 jobs.
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