B.C. forestry sector warns of “breaking point”

B.C.’s forestry sector is bracing for what it’s calling a “breaking point”.

The stark warning comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 10 per cent tariff on Canadian softwood lumber officially takes effect, pushing total duties to more than 45 per cent.

On Tuesday, Premier David Eby stood alongside industry and union leaders to denounce Trump’s latest blow, calling it an “existential threat” to mills in every corner of the province.

“Those mills provide jobs for families. They use the money they earn there to pay the rent, to pay the mortgage, and in some cases, to support entire communities,” said Eby.

Eby is now urging Ottawa to act quickly — by releasing the more than $1 billion in federal support already pledged for the sector and making lumber a top priority in trade negotiations.

“There is no time to wait. Jobs and mills are on the line.”

Lumber is one of B.C.’s top exports — and the U.S. its biggest customer.

In 2024, B.C. generated approximately $4.5 billion from softwood lumber exports to the U.S., representing nearly 75 per cent of its total softwood exports, according to provincial figures.

“Forestry is in an absolute crisis. It has been for decades… but we’re at a breaking point right now,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Western Regional Director for Unifor.

B.C. communities at risk

Industry leaders warn the tariff hike isn’t just about the mills.

“Forty-five per cent is just a number. Behind that are real people. There’s paycheques, there’s families, there are whole communities,” said Scott Lunny, Western Canadian Director for United Steelworkers.

If B.C. mills are forced to close or curtail, Lunny says the ripple effects will hit local economies hard — impacting small businesses, schools, and main streets in resource towns across the province.

“It’s not just the immediate worker. It’s the truckers, the retail stores, the other public sector workers in the community.”

“That’s the threat we’re under right now.”

Calls for urgent federal support

In August, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised $700 million in loan guarantees and $500 million in long-term support to help Canada’s lumber companies navigate what he then called “immediate pressures.”

Eby says that funding must flow now, not months down the line.

The premier adds Ottawa needs to show the same level of urgency it displayed when tariffs hit Ontario’s auto industry and Quebec’s steel sector.

“What we’re asking for is that that same respect, that same concern, that same sense of emergency is shared for the forest sector in this country.”

As for how the province is helping, Eby says it’s already deferring stumpage payments to give companies breathing room, and now plans to launch a targeted U.S. ad campaign highlighting the irony of American buyers paying higher tariffs on Canadian wood than on Russian lumber.