B.C. announces review of timber sales, manufacturing jobs fund as Trump tariffs loom

The B.C. government has made a series of announcements aimed at helping the province's ailing forest industry as it suffers the fallout of recent jobs cuts and faces the possibility of more to come as Donald Trump takes office.

The president-elect has promised to impose tariffs on Canadian goods sold in the United States, which would include timber exports from British Columbia that are already subject to significant duties amidst an ongoing trade dispute between Canada and its southern neighbour.

Those duties, along with a declining supply of harvestable forest in B.C., have led to the loss of thousands of direct and downstream jobs in recent years.

Speaking in Prince George, B.C., Wednesday, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar said Trump's threatened tariffs, on top of pre-existing issues, could be "devastating" for the province's forestry sector. He said the province needs a "team B.C. and a team Canada" approach in fighting them.

To that end, the province has announced a new $5.1-million fund to support manufacturing jobs in B.C. and a review of B.C. Timber Sales (BCTS), a provincial agency responsible for managing timber harvested on public land.

The agency, housed within B.C.'s Ministry of Forests, is meant to be a self-financing, independent agency and was created in 2003. It both chooses the price and auctions off approximately 20 per cent of the allowable cut set by the province each year.

Parmar said the review of the agency will be led by former B.C. Liberal cabinet member George Abbott, District of Vanderhoof Coun. Brian Frenkel and Lennard Joe, the chief executive officer of the B.C. First Nations Forestry Council.

He also said the province will be doubling the amount of timber managed by BCTS and dedicated to manufacturers in B.C., from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. At the same time, an additional $5.1 million in funding is being made available to forest product manufacturers throughout the province.

Parmar said he is "significantly concerned" about the possibility of further mill closures.

"We know that 2025 is going to be a tough year for the forest sector," he said, but also expressed optimism about some of the innovation he has seen within the industry.

"This is an opportunity for the sector to come together and for us to be bold."

B.C. Minister of Jobs Diana Gibson, speaking alongside Parmar, said the province's strategy with the tariff threats is to try to fight them as well as diversify the economy and elevate B.C.'s economic growth to reduce any impact.

"[We] really need to look at how we can we make sure we're maximizing our jobs here in B.C., and making sure we're resilient and less reliant on that north-south trade," she said.

The funding aims to support seven capital projects as well as five planning projects. 

The money is coming from the province's Manufacturing Jobs Fund, which was announced by B.C. Premier David Eby in Prince George in 2023.

The Opposition B.C. Conservatives' forests critic, Ward Stamer, said in a statement that the industry is facing "critical issues" and it is not the time for "more reviews and delays."

He called for expedited approval processes and better access to fire-damaged timber and residual fibre.