B.C. communities affected by forestry closures see increase in food bank use

As more northern B.C. forestry jobs are lost amid continued pressure on the lumber industry, food bank operators in small towns say they're seeing an increase in demand.

The communities of Vanderhoof and Fort St. John are set to lose 500 jobs at the end of December when mill operator Canfor is slated to close sawmills in both communities.

Food bank operators in both places say they've already seen an uptick in usage this year as the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit small communities hard.

The future for B.C.'s forestry sector continues to be murky, as U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber could get even steeper given U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff.

Patricia Budgell, a co-ordinator with the Fort St. John Salvation Army, says her organization's food bank is already seeing double the number of visits that it saw in 2023.

"That works out to some staggering numbers for our small community," she told CBC News.

"Last year's numbers, we had over 16,000 food bank visits total," Budgell added. "We distributed about 360,000 pounds of food, and we issued hundreds of vouchers for other items that we did not have in stock."

While the mill closure in Fort St. John is scheduled for later this month, Budgell says many people have already lost their jobs in the community of around 21,000 people.

"It's been really tough because, again, with the industry shutdown, a lot of those industries, when they were active, [were] supporting the food bank through sponsorships and items and donations," she said.

"So we've actually lost a ton of support this year as well in our donations just because the companies are not able to give."

It's a similar story in the community of Vanderhoof, with a local food bank operator saying it was seeing more use of its services in the community of around 4,300 people.

"We've had the layoffs with our local mills, and we have another big one coming up here end of December," said Amy Martins, who is the neighbourhood co-ordinator for the NeighbourLink Vanderhoof Food Bank.

"We don't know what January will hold for, you know, help that people need."

Martins says the food bank had already seen an increase in usage this year, though she couldn't say whether that was specifically due to the mill shutdown.

Budgell said that she hopes that demand for the food bank decreases after the Christmas season and that forestry workers are able to transition into new careers and get back on their feet.