A British Columbia First Nations leader says the province must rethink its approach to the forest industry in light of Canfor Corp.B次元官网网址檚 decision to shutter two sawmills and leave 500 workers without jobs.

NakB次元官网网址檃zdli WhutB次元官网网址檈n Chief Colleen Erickson says First Nations must play a bigger role in the industryB次元官网网址檚 future in B.C. because Indigenous entities would not be B次元官网网址渟ending our profits elsewhereB次元官网网址� as corporations not headquartered locally would.

EricksonB次元官网网址檚 comments Friday come after Canfor announced it will close mills in Vanderhoof, B.C., and Fort St. John, B.C., by the end of the year.

The Vancouver-based company says the challenge of accessing economically viable timber for fibre, ongoing financial losses, weak lumber markets and a big increase last month in U.S. tariffs all played a role in the decision.

But Erickson says most First Nations members in the area werenB次元官网网址檛 surprised Canfor could not access affordable fibre anymore due to what she calls B次元官网网址渦nsustainableB次元官网网址� harvesting practices.

She also says an industry with heavier First Nations involvement would not shutter mills in B.C. and invest elsewhere because local community members B次元官网网址渁re not going anywhere.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 think most people have come to that (conclusion) because of the fact that they can just close their doors and go elsewhere to log, and everybodyB次元官网网址檚 basically left on their own (here),B次元官网网址� Erickson says.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no remediation on their part. ThereB次元官网网址檚 nothing to compel them to use some of the profits to help people diversify into something else. If things were local, then it would be a local discussion.B次元官网网址�

The call for more local management of forest assets has been echoed by unions, including the Prince George, B.C., local of United Steelworkers whose members comprise 325 of the 500 positions lost in the closures.

B次元官网网址淭here needs to be a better effort by government to decide what vision they have for the industry in B.C.,B次元官网网址� Scott Lunny, director of the unionB次元官网网址檚 Western Canada district, said in a previous statement.

B次元官网网址淚f Canfor wonB次元官网网址檛 do it, find a company that will invest in B.C.B次元官网网址�

Public and Private Workers of Canada national president Geoff Dawe says while members of his union are not directly impacted, he agrees that companies that are not invested in local communities should lose their forest tenure rights.

B次元官网网址淭he government needs to step in and say, B次元官网网址楲ook, if youB次元官网网址檙e not going to use this tenure, then we need to give it to somebody that is,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Dawe says. B次元官网网址淏ecause we have a community here, and they should be looking after that communityB次元官网网址檚 best interest.B次元官网网址�

Provincial industry group BC Council of Forest Industries has said in light of the Canfor closures that advancing new agreements with First Nations is one key priority the province should have in safeguarding the sectorB次元官网网址檚 future.

B次元官网网址淣ew approaches to First Nations stewardship, forest tenure, treaty, and equity and investment will support economic reconciliation and build stronger partnerships with Indigenous communities,B次元官网网址� council CEO Linda Coady said in a previous statement.

But the group also says the province also needs to be B次元官网网址減roviding a reliable supply of fibre to the industry.B次元官网网址�

Erickson says that is where the province need to talk to First Nations more because she feels her community is more knowledgeable about sustainable management of forests locally than others from elsewhere.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very frustrating that weB次元官网网址檝e come to this point,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淏ut for sure we need to look at the remaining resource that we have and see how we can do better.

B次元官网网址淲e definitely need to do something different.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址� Chuck Chiang in Vancouver

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press