Forestry workers, employers and communities throughout British Columbia are receiving targeted assistance through a forestry workers support grant.

The $20.8-million investment announced last week is to help employers and communities respond quickly to the needs of the sector, by providing funds for worker retention, wage support and job-creating local projects, a Ministry of Forests media release explained.

“There are serious global pressures impacting forestry workers in B.C., including unfair and punishing duties and tariffs driven by U.S. President Donald Trump,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “We are not backing down, we’re going to fight like hell to defend our forestry jobs. The new forestry workers support grant is one tool we’re taking action on right now to protect jobs today.”

Delivered through the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), the grant helps forestry workers, employers and communities respond to sector disruptions. The grant is anticipated to support 1,400 forestry workers.

The grant will support:

* rapid re-employment and skills training opportunities for forestry workers, to ensure they stay working;

* wage subsidies and workforce-stabilization supports to help retain workers, support business adaptation and enable diversification into new or expanded areas of work;

* community-led projects that generate good-paying jobs and help communities build local resilience.

The grant will make land-based or operational contracts available through BC Bid. The grant can be stacked to include funding for worker training, wage or workforce supports alongside contract work, directly supporting the work of loggers and contractors in B.C.

The grant is not limited to Crown land projects or BC Bid opportunities. This will allow workers, contractors and businesses to pursue a wide range of local and regional employment options, the ministry pointed out.

Inspired by the Forest Employment Program, the forestry grant offers many of the same benefits to support contractors and their workers, supporting employment and retention, and keeps job opportunities accessible through BC Bid.

The forestry grant will create new opportunities for workers to stay employed and find new opportunities, through local projects and programs, the ministry said.

The province has completed Labour Market Training programs in Wildfire and Integrated Natural Resources Training around Cranbrook, Kamloops, Langley, Prince George and Nanaimo.

The youth-focused programming provided training to prepare as many as 120 youth for employment in the natural resources sector. Training included field assessment skills, species identification, Indigenous ecological knowledge and tools operation, as well as certification in wildfire suppression and safety.

The forestry grant is part of the Government of B.C.’s and Canada’s Workforce Tariff Response initiative, which confirmed $70.4 million over three years in federal funding in March 2026.

Delivered over three years, the initiative will support more than 8,000 workers, including more than 1,400 forestry workers and other workers in forestry communities affected by tariffs and market disruptions throughout British Columbia, the Forests Ministry said.

Through this federal and provincial partnership, employment supports include:

* helping workers stay connected to jobs, access training and transition support;

* strengthening regional economies by investing in workforce stability, skills development and community-led projects that generate employment in impacted regions.

Actions are underway to support workers:

* leveraging Community Transition tables in forestry communities to identify and act on immediate needs for workers and communities;

* ramping up staffing to offer more direct services to affected workers, while rolling out new responsive programming quickly;

* co-ordinating with WorkBC to reach workers early and connect them to available supports.

The NDIT is a non-profit economic development corporation that partners with communities, employers and First Nations to foster sustainable economic growth throughout northern and rural British Columbia. Through community-driven investments, NDIT supports workforce development, business diversification and regional resilience by delivering flexible, on-the-ground programs that respond quickly to local needs and create long-term economic opportunities.

“The Truck Loggers Association is pleased the Ministry of Forests is taking meaningful steps to address the immediate needs of forestry contractors and workers facing ongoing challenges. This targeted support for training and retention is critical to keeping highly skilled and highly sought after forestry workers in the sector and forestry-dependent communities. While we don’t want to see our members transition out of the forest industry, building skills that allow them to take on a broader range of forestry work is a positive and practical step forward,” stated Peter Lister, executive director of the Truck Loggers Association.

“This initiative is something that forestry workers who are impacted by the current turmoil that continues to affect our members in communities across B.C., sorely need. In times of crisis, workers and communities need support from the provincial government and this is a great example of that,” said Jeff Bromley, chair of  USW (United Steelworkers) Wood Council.

e-KNOW file photo

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