The mayor of Campbell River has called on the province to take immediate action to help the struggling forestry industry, arguing past policies have hindered the sector's growth.
In a letter addressed to Premier David Eby last week, Kermit Dahl said the promise to protect jobs and grow a resilient economy rings hollow for "thousands of coastal forestry workers watching their industry collapse – not from market forces, but from policy paralysis and regulatory misfires."
The province committed to an annual harvest target of 45 million cubic metres to allow the sector to survive, Dahl said, but the 2025 to 2026 budget allows for only 32 million cubic metres.
"That 13-million-cubic-metre shortfall represents an estimated $275 million in lost revenue – funds that could support healthcare, education, and infrastructure across B.C.," he wrote.
Dahl said the provincial government has created regulatory uncertainty that harms the industry, noting harvest approvals have increased from six months to two years or more.
The mayor lists solutions, such as delaying new restrictions until existing policy reviews are complete, streamlining approval processes with reliable timelines and developing policies tailored to the coast's distinct geography rather than applying a uniform set of rules.
In an Aug. 6 interview with Campbell River Mirror, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar expressed optimism for the North Island forestry industry, pointing to the ongoing collaboration between the ‘Namgis First Nation and Western Forest Products, which highlights the increasingly important role First Nations play in the sector.
On July 30, ‘Namgis and Western submitted draft plans to the province's chief forester, covering 142,000 hectares of ‘Namgis territory. These plans aim to enhance longterm forest health, climate adaptation and sustainable forestry under B.C.’s Forest Landscape Planning Pilot program launched in 2021.
"You have outstanding First Nations partners who are involved in forestry and have been for some time, but have not reaped the benefits, but are starting to reap the benefits," Parmar said. "I'm moved by the incredible work they are doing to steward their lands in a way that creates economic prosperity for them, for their communities and the surrounding regions.
"I don't think the mayor realizes that, and I hope the mayor will educate himself," Parmar added.
He acknowledged the process of reforming BC Timber Sales involves complex negotiations that take time. He also pointed to complexities in market conditions that further exacerbate the issue.
Some mills are not harvesting, he said, not because of fibre supply issues, but because of decreased lumber demand south of the border, influenced by the current economic climate with U.S. tariffs, causing the cost of building homes to skyrocket. He also noted challenges in accessing remote fibre supplies in regions where it has become "uneconomical" to harvest.
"There was a time within a radius where you could go and harvest and bring those logs and make a lot of money," said Parmar. "You can't do that anymore because that radius is gone, and you have to go further. It is the responsibility of companies to be able to do that work. Some companies are doing that work, and others have abandoned it and made investments elsewhere. I would say shame on them for doing so, but for those that are putting in the work, I commend them."
