'Peanuts': B.C. Forestry Workers Left Behind
British Columbia's battered forestry sector got a federal lifeline this week — but the people who need it most aren't exactly celebrating.
The federal government announced a $12 million investment in B.C. forestry support as the industry continues to reel from punishing U.S. tariffs on Canadian wood products. For John Brink, who operates a trio of wood manufacturing plants in and around Prince George, B.C., the announcement landed like a slap in the face.
"It's peanuts compared to what is required," Brink told CBC News.
His frustration is hard to argue with. Over the past year alone, Brink's workforce has cratered from roughly 400 employees to around 30 — a staggering 92% reduction that reflects just how badly the tariff war has hammered Canada's forest products industry.
The Tariff Pressure Crushing Canadian Lumber
U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber have been a long-running trade irritant, but the current climate has made things significantly worse. American duties on Canadian wood have reached punishing levels, making it increasingly difficult for B.C. producers to compete in what has historically been their largest export market.
For communities like Prince George — where forestry isn't just an industry but the backbone of the local economy — the impact has been devastating. Layoffs, mill closures, and reduced production have rippled through towns across northern B.C., leaving workers and families in a precarious position.
Brink's plants represent a microcosm of that broader collapse. Where hundreds of skilled tradespeople once reported to work each morning, only a skeleton crew remains.
Is the Federal Response Enough?
The $12 million investment is positioned as targeted support to help B.C.'s forestry sector adapt and survive the tariff squeeze. But critics — and those living through the crisis — argue the scale of the response simply doesn't match the scale of the problem.
The Canadian forestry sector as a whole employs hundreds of thousands of workers and contributes tens of billions of dollars to the national economy each year. Against that backdrop, a $12 million package looks modest at best.
Industry advocates have been calling for more aggressive federal intervention, whether through direct financial support for affected workers and companies, accelerated trade negotiations to reduce tariff barriers, or investment in alternative markets to reduce dependence on U.S. buyers.
What Comes Next
The broader softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the United States has dragged on for decades, cycling through periods of truce and tension. With trade relations between the two countries under renewed strain, there's little optimism that a quick resolution is on the horizon.
For workers like those who used to fill Brink's Prince George facilities, the waiting is the hardest part. An industry that once provided stable, well-paying jobs in rural B.C. communities is contracting rapidly, and a $12 million announcement isn't likely to change that trajectory on its own.
The federal government has indicated this investment is part of a broader support package for affected sectors, but forestry advocates are pushing Ottawa to move faster and think bigger — before more mills shut down and more workers are left without options.
Source: CBC News. Original story
