Two wood-product manufacturers on Vancouver Island receive a combined $7.825 million from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund to increase the production of value-added wood products and strengthen regional forestry operations, according to the Government of British Columbia.
Western Forest Products’ Value Added Division in Chemainus receives up to $7.5 million to install two continuous dry kilns. The kilns will increase drying precision and allow the company to expand production of high-value applications for second-growth western hemlock, including materials for future mass-timber inputs.
Island TimberFrame in Cumberland receives up to $325,000 to purchase and install new advanced manufacturing equipment. The investment will enable the company to expand production of structural mass-timber and wood-finishing products, increase operational efficiency, and access larger construction projects.
Since 2023, the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund has committed nearly $91 million to 75 forest product manufacturers. These commitments have supported more than $590 million in total investment and created or protected over 3,500 jobs across regional, remote, and Indigenous communities.
The fund supports high-value industrial and manufacturing projects across British Columbia that create and protect well-paying jobs. More than $1.2 billion has been invested across 155 capital projects through the program, with $153 million in funding committed by the Province.
Each $1 million invested through the fund results in $7 million in total direct capital investments, $590,000 in tax revenue for the Province, and $5.3 million in provincial GDP during the construction phase. Funded projects will create more than 2,100 jobs and protect more than 2,700 jobs.
