Forests

BC’s Coastal Forestry Crisis Demands Immediate ActionCommunities Like Campbell River Can’t Wait

Open letter from Kermit Dahl, the Mayor of Campbell River, to Premier David Eby (reprinted as public information)

Dear Premier Eby,
When you reshuffled your cabinet on July 17, you pledged to “protect jobs and the economy” and to “grow a resilient economy.” Those words ring hollow for thousands of coastal forestry workers watching their industry collapse—not from market forces, but from policy paralysis and regulatory misfires.

Since 2019, harvest volumes on the coast have dropped by over 40%. More than 5,400 direct jobs have disappeared since 2022. Mills have closed. Communities have lost critical tax revenue. And the situation is
worsening.

The Revenue Reality Check

Your government made firm commitments to an annual harvest target of 45 million cubic metres to allow the sector to survive. Of note, normal harvest levels of 55-65 million cubic metres kept ourresource communities vibrant and sustainable. Yet the 2025–26 budget allows for just 32 million cubic metres. That 13-million-cubic-metre shortfall represents an estimated $275 million in lost revenue—funds that could support healthcare, education, and infrastructure across BC.

Don’t Blame External Forces for Homegrown Problems

US tariffs are not the root cause of this crisis. While other jurisdictions face similar trade pressures, BC’s coastal forestry sector has been uniquely harmed by regulatory uncertainty. When harvest approvals
that once took six months now take two years or more, that’s not a tariff issue, it’s a made-in-BC problem.

You Can’t Build the Future Without Trees

Your government has championed mass timber, value-added manufacturing, and bioenergy as the future of forestry. You have promised to build thousands of affordable homes. But none of that is possible without access to fibre. Every innovative wood product, every mass timber beam, every housing unit, every bioenergy project depends on a functioning harvest system. Without it, your vision remains just
that vision.

Policy Paralysis Is Killing Recovery

Minister Parmar recently stated, “Some people want to shut down the industry. That’s not government’s agenda.” If that’s true, then it’s time to act like it. Overlapping policy reviews and shifting regulations have created a maze of uncertainty that discourages the very investment BC needs. We are one pulp mill closure away from the collapse of the coastal sector.

Solutions Exist—And They’re Not Radical

  • Pause new restrictions until current policy reviews are complete.
  • Streamline approval processes with firm, reliable timelines.
  • Develop policies tailored to the Coast’s unique geography—not one-size-fits-all rules.

These are not extreme requests. They are the basic conditions any business sector needs to survive.

Premier, you have the tools to address this crisis. The question is whether you’ll use them—before more mills close and more communities lose their economic foundation.

Campbell River is waiting for your response.
Sincerely,
Kermit Dahl
Mayor
Cc Honourable Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests