World

Thousands of B.C. forest workers jobless as sawmills shutdown

by Barry Artiste | June 21, 2008 at 12:44 pm

529 views | 12 Recommendations | 4 comments

Certainly the downturn in the US economy is having a disasterous trickle down theory for Canada's ailing lumber industry. Let's hope China bites and buys our lumber to build all their homes destroyed in the recent disasters.

It is terrible times to profit from another countries misery, but misery and the cure begins at home.

Thousands of B.C. forest workers jobless as sawmills shutdown
DIRK MEISSNER

The Canadian Press

June 21, 2008 at 1:29 PM EDT

VICTORIA — Carol Perron says she can't come right out and say it, but deep down she knows she's making plans for two deaths: Her husband's and her community's.

Ms. Perron lives in Mackenzie, a forest industry town in B.C.'s rugged north that's been dropped to its knees by a failing U.S. housing market and the strong Canadian dollar.

Most of Mackenzie's 4,700 residents are employed in the forest industry, but every sawmill in the surrounding area is shut down indefinitely and more than 1,200 people are out of work.

“I don't think we'll see a change here until about 2010,” said Perron, echoing B.C. government forecasts that at least 18 months of hard times are ahead.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Amy Judd

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:00 on June 21st, 2008

Barry Artiste, I have a friend whose dad works in a sawmill. I am sure this is going to affect him.

Barry Artiste

at 13:14 on June 21st, 2008

Thanks for the visit and comments and flag AMY, certainly one persons loss of income affects not only pride and family loss of income but the entire community somehow suffers, from the grocery store to the gas station

Felton Barch

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:16 on June 21st, 2008

Barry Artiste, well presented story and pictures.

Anyone working in lumber or fishing should consider finding other sources of income. Those industries have been steadily decreasing for ~40 years or more.

Barry Artiste

at 22:25 on June 21st, 2008

Tell me about it, what I would like to know is we in Canada are experiencing a building boom of residential homes, certainly not enough though to sustain a lumber industry. As for fishing, well farmed fish are bringing a host of environmental problems which kill off free fishlings in our oceans.

You know it is hard for a life long fisherman or lumbermen to change careers, especially since most live in rural areas where the lumber and fish are. Hopefully they have a nest egg and tell their kids to not follow their career path.

Thanks for the comments as well