Rob Douglas

Sawmill closures and job losses were the top of mind for North Cowichan’s municipal council as they addressed senior levels of government during their visit to Victoria last week. Since June, access to viable logs has hindered production at the Chemainus and Cowichan Bay sawmills, and mayor Rob Douglas says that has affected as many as 200 workers. Douglas says talks with the Minister of Forestry Ravi Parmar regarding fibre access issues for the mills and how to resolve them to stimulate industry growth and get people back to work were very productive. …Douglas says while local mills in the Cowichan Valley are being hit hard by the tariffs imposed on softwood lumber, this is a much broader issue and needs to be addressed. …According to Douglas, the Chemainus sawmill is scheduled to be shut until the end of the year, and the Cowichan Bay sawmill could be down until Oct. 23.