Dan Albas

Canada’s competitiveness in key industries has been under pressure for years — and recent developments show the problem is worsening, with new waves of job losses hitting strategic sectors. Nearly six years ago Kelowna residents were alarmed by news that our local Tolko lumber mill would close, leaving about 174 employees out of work. … In that same period, Canfor curtailed operations at all of its B.C. sawmills for two weeks over the holidays due to high fibre costs and weak markets, affecting roughly 2,100 workers. At the time, I argued that some B.C. forest companies were not leaving the industry so much as leaving British Columbia, redirecting investment to U.S. mills where policy and cost structures are more competitive. Unfortunately, the trend has intensified in the Interior. …The policy advantages on the U.S. side make their jurisdictions more attractive for capital, which pulls jobs and production away from communities in B.C.’s Interior.