Forestry company cuts production at northern B.C. mills, expects to lose 147 jobs

A Vancouver-based forestry company says it is cutting production at three of its northern B.C. mills partly because of a lack of timber supplies, resulting in a loss of 147 jobs.

The job cuts, expected to take place over the fourth quarter, come as West Fraser Timber permanently cuts about 170 million board feet of combined production at its sawmills in Fraser Lake and Williams Lake, and about 85 million square feet of plywood production at its Quesnel operation.

The shift reductions will mean a loss of 77 jobs at its Fraser Lake Sawmill, 15 positions at Williams Lake Lumber, and 55 jobs at Quesnel Plywood, according to the wood products company.

The company says it expects to reduce the impact on affected employees by providing work opportunities at other West Fraser operations.

Access to timber has become an increasing challenge in British Columbia as the mountain pine beetle, wildfires and other issues hit supplies, while West Fraser notes that transportation constraints have also reduced its ability to access markets.

West Fraser has 35 other facilities across Canada, mostly located in B.C. and Alberta, 33 in the United States and six in Europe. It has been increasingly expanding in the southern U.S., including purchases of mills in Texas and South Carolina.

'Generations of families' will be affected, says mayor

Fraser Lake Mayor Sarrah Storey said she was shocked by the announcement, despite the company previously making production and job cuts in northern B.C. in 2019.

She said the jobs cuts will be tough on forestry workers.

"Generations of families, like parents and grandparents, worked at West Fraser sawmills, and then these youth that are now young adults moved into the system and they don't have that same opportunity," she said on CBC's Radio West.

"People are frustrated ... they're worried because they don't know where they sit."

She said the job cuts would mean either workers will retire early, or move out from Fraser Lake — home to less than 1,000 residents — for employment opportunities elsewhere.

"It really hurts seeing a lot of these awesome families just leave our community," she said.

"Nobody wants to see anybody leave."