Ep 435 - British Columbia’s Forestry Woes, Explained

Guest: John Brink

In December 2021, Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer penned a startling piece about British Columbia’s forest industry. His headline read, “BC forest companies expanding at a rapid pace, but not at home.” That means BC-based forest companies were and continue to invest heavily in wood product production everywhere except the home province they come from.

The flow of forestry capital out of BC is accelerating, including investments made by Canfor, which last year invested $420 million to acquire Alberta-based Millar Western Forest Products. And the rush to get out of BC continues to spiral upward; on the day of this recording, Canfor announced the closing of a pulp line in Prince George, terminating 300 jobs.

It’s not all bad news. John Brink, the founder of the Brink Group company, is a successful entrepreneur who came to Canada with the proverbial 25 cents in his pocket. He went to work at a sawmill north in the 1960s. He set his sights on owning a wood products manufacturing company. He succeeded and continues to thrive despite the troubles the industry faces. Brink says, “It was my dream and it is my passion to ensure forestry products and jobs remain a vital part of the BC economy.”

We invited John Brink to join us for a Conversation That Matter about how we got to the current state of forestry in BC.

Join me Feb 21  for Conversations Live - A Vancouver Sun Town Hall examines the Rental Housing Paradox

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