BC Awards CA$5.1 Million to Support Forest Products Manufacturing

On Wednesday, British Columbia announced that the government is contributing as much as CA$5.1 million (CAD) through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF) 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 BC that is focused on producing leading-edge, high-quality wood products and biomaterials.

The BCMJF is part of a series of programs the province has introduced to support sustainability in its forestry sector. To date, the BCMJF has provided incentives with more than CA$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.

Recipients of the latest funding include the following:

• Cedarland Forest Products Ltd., located in Maple Ridge, produces cedar lumber and profiled cedar products such as siding, decking, and paneling. It will receive as much as CA$1.3 million to buy and install new high-temperature kilns and a moulder, allowing the company to diversify its fiber 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 CA$1.1 million for facility modernization and new equipment that will enable the production of new, in-demand products from a wider range of fiber inputs. This project will expand the range of value-added products made in-house, increase productivity, and create nine jobs.

In a statement accompanying the announcement, BC Minster of Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation Diana Gibson said:

“Using available fiber wisely is an important part of BC’s plan for sustainable forestry. 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 fiber supply, while producing more made-in-BC engineered wood products.”