Lyndsay Duncombe & Brian Frenkel

One year ago, the Plateau sawmill was the largest single employer in Vanderhoof, a community of 4,500 people about an hour’s drive west of Prince George that bills itself as the geographic centre of B.C. Today, its lumber yard sits empty — one of dozens of mill closures and curtailments around the province that have sent hundreds of people who had held long-term union jobs seeking employment elsewhere. This keeps Coun. Brian Frenkel up at night, especially as the industry prepares for another hit in the form of U.S. tariffs this week. …Seeking new opportunities amid cascading crises will be a key theme this week in Prince George at the B.C. Council of Forest Industries convention. …Frenkel says he doesn’t see a future without forestry, but agrees that better management is needed so that environmental concerns and jobs can coexist, with First Nations and local communities playing a key role.