The Ministry of Forests has announced that the first round of support programs for forestry workers affected by mill closures in BC’s Interior are now available.
The end of the mountain pine beetle harvest and low lumber prices, and the ongoing Canada/U.S. trade dispute are creating uncertainty in many Interior communities.
To support workers and communities, the provincial government has allocated $69 million to fund forest worker support programs to help reduce the impact of job losses on communities and support community resilience, forest enhancement and wildfire prevention in the Interior.
Impacted workers, contractors and communities can access the programs online.
The web portal includes the latest information and application details for the retirement bridging program, the forest employment program, community support grants, and training opportunities and funding.
Applications are now being accepted for the retirement bridging program. Mill workers who are employees of a forestry company in the B.C. Interior may be eligible to receive combined funding of up to $75,000, depending on their individual employment history and situation, to help in their transition to retirement.
Through the forest employment program, affected contractors in the Interior will be able to bid on short-term employment opportunity projects near communities directly impacted by a permanent or indefinite mill closure.
Te ministry says that more projects will be added in the coming weeks.
More information on the forest employment program, including an initial list of projects, click here.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
