B.C. commits $90M over three years for forest dependent communities

The British Columbia government is promising up to $90 million over three years to support new industrial and manufacturing projects in communities hurt by the downturn in the forestry industry.

Premier David Eby made the announcement in Prince George on Jan. 17, where Canfor Pulp Products said last week it was closing the pulp line at its mill, eliminating 300 jobs by the end of the year.

The support program will take applications from all manufacturing sectors, but the government says the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is aimed at areas experiencing economic impacts from changes in the forestry sector.

The funding could be used by a forestry company to buy new equipment to support new product lines, for example, or by a company that wants to build or expand a plastics-alternative manufacturing facility in a rural community.

Eby said the forest industry in the province is facing a “huge challenge.”

“We need to be more creative with the supply that we do have to create more jobs for British Columbians. It is a challenging time, but it’s also a time of innovation and that’s exactly what today’s announcement is about,” Eby said.

“Those people in rural communities that see the opportunity for creating jobs in this sector and we want to support them, and this $90 million can go a long way to doing that.”

Applications for the program open at the end of February and grants are available either for planning or up to $10 million in capital funding for projects that can start within a year.

The money is on top of $185 million in the current budget for supports to offset any economic impacts from the changing forestry industry.

In mandate letters to his ministers last year, Eby acknowledged that the province’s forest sector has “never been under greater stress,” and that change is needed to ensure the forest industry is sustainable.