Forestry workers push retirement bridging

LeBlanc says the immediate concern for many workers is figuring out the timeline for their employment and what options may exist after that.

“So, I think right now, most of them are just trying to figure out, okay what is our timeline? When is the mill going to go down? When am I going to be released? And and then from there they’ll start to, you know, look for jobs and figure that out.”

But finding similar work in Prince George could be difficult. LeBlanc says there are fewer options left in the local forestry sector following years of mill closures and downsizing.

“Well, I mean, similar employment. I mean, probably not very many of them there’s only one pulp mill left in Prince George. Now, after the Northwood closure, some of them may be able to get down into specialty paper mills if there’s some openings there. But the reality is trying to find a good paying job in Prince George and stay in Prince George is going to be a real challenge for a lot of them.”

That challenge is why LeBlanc says governments need to focus on immediate worker supports, including retirement bridging. He says governments have become experienced at responding to mill closures, but that experience reflects a broader problem in the forestry sector.

“The government has gotten really good at being able to come in and set up supports for workers, which like I said, it’s unfortunate that there’s good at it because that just means that we’ve had a lot of mill closures.”

LeBlanc says one support that has been pushed before is bridging to retirement, a program that could help older workers leave the workforce with financial assistance while opening up jobs for others lower on the seniority list.

“You know, the federal government gave the provincial government, some money for different programs, and some of that money has not been put into a program of any sort yet and one of the ones that we’ve been pushing quite heavily on that help back in 2023 when the PG pulp line went down, was the bridging to retirement. This is, a program where an older worker can take some, some government money to retire, and then that helps, save a job for someone who’s, further down the line of progression or seniority.”

Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty agrees that retirement bridging needs to be part of the response for workers affected by the Northwood closure. He says older workers who are close to retirement should have support, while others may need retraining assistance.

“We’ve been pushing for some form a package that will assist these workers that are close to retirement specifically a bridging or a form of bridging to their to the either their pension or retirement or assisting them with retraining.”

Doherty says the closure is about more than jobs inside one mill. He says when a forestry job disappears, the impact reaches suppliers, truck drivers, families and the broader community.

“And let’s remember this too when a softwood lumber job is lost, it’s not not just that job in the mill, but that multiplier, that, affect is usually three or 4 or 5 times that. What about the chemical companies that supply all the, critical chemicals for that operation? What about the truck drivers? You know, what about the spouses of those workers that might be a teacher in our community, might be a nurse in our community.”

Both LeBlanc and Doherty say the response from government has not matched the scale of the crisis facing forestry communities. LeBlanc says politicians continue to talk about forestry, but workers are not seeing enough major changes.

“I think a lot more attention needs to be made to it. I mean, at the end of the day these politicians seem to offer I won’t say lip service but they’re talking forestry and we don’t see a lot of big changes in unfortunately.”

Doherty takes that criticism further, saying forestry workers in British Columbia have struggled to receive the kind of support other workers in other parts of the country have received. He says governments have moved quickly to assist steel, auto and aluminum workers, but have not done the same for forestry families.

“They seemed so quick to come to the aid and assistance of steel and auto workers and aluminum. I’m not downplaying the importance of those industries, but they have absolutely left our forestry, our hard working families, that are dependent and our communities that are dependent on forestry, they have absolutely hung them out to dry”

Doherty says the federal government also has a role to play through issues such as softwood lumber, rail access and major project approvals that could create other high-paying jobs for displaced workers.

“Our federal government could have secured, a new softwood lumber agreement. They’ve had over 11 years to get this one done that would have provided consistency, that would have provided the tariffs and anti-dumping duties back to our forestry producers.”

LeBlanc says without major changes, young workers may no longer see forestry as a stable long-term career. He says he was able to build a career in the sector, but that certainty is becoming harder for younger workers to find.

“But as a young worker coming into the forest industry right now, that certainty or that type of long term employment just really isn’t there right now.”

Still, LeBlanc says the workforce at Local 603 is skilled, and he believes workers will eventually land on their feet, even if the short term is painful.

“For our brothers and sisters up that, local 603, they’re a skilled workforce. It will take some time to, you know, find another job but, I have full confidence in their skills and their abilities, and I think that, you know, it’ll be short term, some pain for sure.”

For workers facing the end of their jobs at Northwood, the call from both LeBlanc and Doherty is clear: retirement bridging, retraining support and immediate government assistance are needed now, not months down the road. Pattison Media is owned by Jim Pattison Industries, a majority shareholder in Canfor.

by Nick Dube

Forestry workers push retirement bridging

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