B.C. premier announces $90M 'manufacturing jobs fund' for rural communities

B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during an announcement in Vancouver, on Wednesday, December 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The B.C. government will spend up to $90 million over the next three years on industrial and manufacturing projects it says will bring "clean and inclusive growth" to rural regions of the province.

Premier David Eby announced the B.C. Manufacturing Jobs Fund at a news conference in Prince George Tuesday afternoon.

The fund is part of the province's forest worker community support initiative, and comes under the umbrella of the StrongerBC economic plan.

The $90 million announced Tuesday is in addition to the province's previous commitment of $185 million to support a "co-ordinated and comprehensive" response to changes in the forestry industry.

"We need to get more good-paying jobs from our forests and every resource in our province," Eby said in the statement.

"The investments we are making in rural B.C. will help do that by supporting companies to get into the business of creating value-added products, like mass timber. Our whole province benefits when local workers and their families can build good lives in the rural communities they call home."

PREMIER MEETS WITH CANFOR WORKERS

Eby's announcement comes amid continued upheaval in the forestry sector.

Last week, it was announced that an estimated 300 jobs will likely be gone by the end of the year as Canfor Pulp Products closes the pulp line at its Prince George pulp and paper mill. 

Eby was joined at the news conference by Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Minister Brenda Bailey and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston. Prior to the event, Eby said, the trio met with Canfor workers for a "wide-ranging conversation" about the closure.

"I made the commitment to them, as did both ministers, that we will be standing with them and supporting them through this incredibly difficult time for them and their families," the premier said.

He said the government would be reaching out to Canfor to have similar conversations.

Eby said the new fund is part of the province's strategy for helping workers like those affected by the Canfor closure. It aims to help companies create jobs through investments in "shovel-ready" projects.

"It is a challenging time, but it's also a time of innovation, and that's exactly what today's announcement is about," Eby said.

Examples of the types of projects that could be funded were listed in the province's statement and included:

• Adopting innovative processes to manufacture value-added forestry products from biomass or other alternatives
• Expanding industrial facilities
• Machine upgrades
• Improvements to fabrication processes
• Construction of new facilities
• Business planning or technical assessments to prepare for capital investment
• Renovating aging industrial buildings, such as unused mills, to serve new purposes

The fund is set to have two streams, dubbed the "project readiness stream" and the "capital investment stream."

The former would see B.C. contribute up to 50 per cent of the cost – up to $50,000 – to help projects that are in "earlier stages of development," while the latter would see the province fund an average of 20 per cent – to a maximum of $10 million – of projects that are further along.

A program guide and proposal form for interested companies will be available by the end of February, according to the province.

Eby is also scheduled to speak Tuesday night at the B.C. Natural Resources Forum.

With files from The Canadian Press