Prince George Council seeks return of Retirement Bridging Program for Northwood workers

The request comes after Canfor announced plans to permanently close the Northwood mill, a move expected to affect approximately 300 workers and their families. The closure is scheduled to begin in November and continue through the end of the year.

In the letter, the city argues that while retraining programs and workforce transition initiatives are important, they may not be the best solution for employees who have spent decades working in forestry and are approaching retirement age.

“While workforce transition and retraining initiatives play an important role in supporting affected employees, they may not be the most appropriate solution for workers who are nearing retirement age and have dedicated decades of service to the industry,” the letter states.

The Bridging to Retirement Program was created to provide financial assistance to older forestry workers displaced by mill closures, curtailments and other industry changes. Before it stopped accepting new applications in February 2025, the program offered up to $75,000 in support for eligible workers.

According to figures cited in the city’s letter, nearly 2,220 forestry workers and contractors used the program to transition toward retirement in 2019. More than 1,000 workers received assistance in 2021 alone. The city also notes the program created opportunities for younger workers, helping more than 500 people move into forestry positions that became available when older employees retired.

Council believes bringing back the program could ease the burden on many workers impacted by the Northwood closure while also benefiting the broader labour market.

“Reinstating the program would provide meaningful support to many workers affected by the Northwood closure while also benefiting the broader workforce,” the letter says.

The city argues that bridging support can give employees nearing retirement greater financial certainty while reducing the need for extensive retraining late in their careers. Officials also point to the potential benefits for younger workers entering or remaining in the forestry sector.

Councillor Brian Skakun said there is precedent for government assistance aimed at older workers facing sudden job losses.

He recalled the closure of PG Pulp years ago, when a similar arrangement allowed some employees to retire earlier than planned.

“In my case, when PG Pulp shut down years ago, there was a number of employees that could retire at 60,” Skakun said. “The province stepped up with some money, Canfor came in with a bit of money, and then there was an option that you could get out early and create more jobs for the people that might have lost their jobs.”

The challenge today, however, is that no comparable retirement-bridging program currently exists for workers at Northwood.

Skakun questioned how many employees would ultimately qualify but said older workers should still be given the opportunity if the province is willing to restore the program.

At the same time, he acknowledged that retirement assistance will not solve the problems facing all displaced employees.

“We may have to look at some other options to give them some different type of funding for retraining to get into different types of work,” he said. “But Bridging to Retirement is not going to affect many people in that mill.”

The issue quickly drew the attention of Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Kiel Giddens, who says he began lobbying the provincial government almost immediately after the closure announcement.

Giddens argues the original creation of the Bridging to Retirement Program was a recognition by government that forestry workers were being affected by broader policy decisions and changing industry conditions.

“When it was first created, government admitted that their old-growth deferral decisions and fibre supply challenges are really having a material impact on workers,” Giddens said.

He noted Canfor cited ongoing fibre supply issues as a key reason for shutting down the Northwood operation.

“When Canfor said that they had a persistent challenge accessing fibre, these workers are totally impacted by provincial decisions about policy,” he said.

Like city council, Giddens has written to Victoria requesting that the retirement-bridging program be reinstated.

But his concerns extend beyond workers who may be close to retirement.

“I’ve also said to the province that workers who are not ready to retire need clarity,” Giddens said. “They need retraining opportunities, and we need to make that a priority.”

He also wants the province to focus on stabilizing the forestry sector across north-central British Columbia.

Forestry communities throughout the region have faced significant challenges in recent years, including mill curtailments, permanent closures, declining timber supply and ongoing uncertainty surrounding fibre availability.

Those realities make it difficult to predict whether financial assistance similar to past programs will be available.

Skakun noted the forest industry looks very different than it did even a few years ago and suggested there are questions about whether the province, facing its own financial pressures, will be able to provide another round of retirement assistance.

“There are other options with mines and everything else coming in,” he said.

However, transitioning workers into entirely new industries may not be straightforward.

“When you work in an industry like the pulp mill, a lot of the skills you used in the pulp mill might not be transferable to other types of industry,” Skakun said. “But you do have heavy industry skills.”

He said one of the priorities moving forward will be ensuring displaced workers are aware of employment opportunities that may exist in mining, construction and other industrial sectors.

For now, both city council and local political leaders are focused on convincing the provincial government to revisit a program they believe could help at least some of the workers facing an uncertain future.

Whether Victoria decides to revive the Bridging to Retirement Program remains to be seen, but with Northwood’s closure set to begin in November, affected employees are looking for answers as they prepare for the next chapter of their working lives.

by Cheryl Jahn

Prince George Council seeks return of Retirement Bridging Program for Northwood workers

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