B.C. Provincial Government Announces $9.3 Million Fund for Small to Medium Sized Forestry Businesses to Offset Operating Costs During Pandemic

The British Columbia provincial government is delivering relief to small- and medium sized forestry businesses to help offset the extra costs of keeping their employees and communities safe, while operating through the COVID-19 pandemic. In announcing the $ 9.3 million fund, Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development said “… the funds will help forestry businesses keep their employees on staff, and their communities safe with the additional costs they’ve already faced related to COVID-19.” She went onto say that “It’s a credit to these companies that they were able to keep people safe while planting trees that will help keep B.C.’s forest sector sustainable and fight climate change.” B.C. expects about 175 companies to apply for its $9.3-million share of the fund, to cover costs of implementing COVID-19 health and safety measures between April 1 and Dec. 31, 2020. These costs include personal protective equipment, handwashing stations, extra vehicles and accommodations. Eligible companies must have on average fewer than 500 employees across all offices in Canada with primary business activities in forestry and logging, support activities for forestry, wood product manufacturing, or pulp and paper manufacturing.