The BC Legislature is not scheduled for a return until February, but once the first session comes along, it would appear a growing crisis in the forestry sector will be at the top of the BC Liberal talking points.
The first few weeks of January have been tough ones for those working run forestry related industries, sawmills along the Highway 16 corridor have extended shutdowns, or suspended operations.
Yesterday, Canfor announced plans to close the Pulp line at Prince George Pulp and Paper , making for some significant job losses.
"In recent years, several sawmills have permanently closed in the Prince George region due to reductions in the allowable annual cut and challenges accessing cost-competitive fibre. This has had a material impact on the availability of residual fibre for our pulp facilities and we need to right-size our operating platform.
As a result, we have made the very difficult decision to shut down the pulp line at Prince George Pulp and Paper Mill and will continue to operate the Specialty Paper facility,
Over the next few months, the Company will be following an orderly wind down process. The pulp line is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2023 and is anticipated to impact approximately 300 positions across the organization by the end of the year.
We greatly appreciate our valued team members who have been helping to navigate a very challenging business environment
We understand and regret the impact today's announcement has on our employees, their families, the businesses that support our operations, and the local community. We will be working in the weeks and months ahead to support our employees through this transition."-- Kevin Edgson, President and CEO, Canfor Pulp.
The BC Government responded to the closure announcement with a joint statement from the Minister of Forests and the Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, with both Ministers Ralston and Bailey. expressing their 'thoughts and support" for the workers and their families, followed by some notes on the measures the government has taken in the forests sector.
It was a response that Skeena MLA Ellis Ross took note of through his social media feed late last night, observing on the growing level of lost jobs in the forests sector under the NDP in recent years.
While the BC Liberals had their own mis-steps on forests policy during their time at the helm, the woes have continued to grow for those who make their livelihoods from the resource sector and that plays into the hands of the Liberals at the moment, representing many areas of the province that are being directly impacted by the shutdowns and closures.
The situation also digs into what should be a safe base for the NDP that of the organized labour workforce, but as the job losses continue to grow and uncertainty on the direction the NDP may be going on forests, that once reliable block of voters may soon be seeking new representation.
Premier Eby may get a taste of some of the concern from workers and industry officials when he appears at the 20th Annual BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George next week.
The topic may make for one of the early narratives for the upcoming session to start in February.
Some notes on the recent closures and shutdowns can be reviewed through our Forest Sector archive page here.
More items of interest from the Legislature can be reviewed here.
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