Getting up to speed on issues, in the local constituency, newly elected MLA Stephanie Higginson made a tour of the Western Forests Products mill in Ladysmith recently.
Higginson was accompanied on the tour by the new Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar, along with two members of the Forestry department's regional office and two staff from the ministers office.
The tour, hosted by Western, was guided by CEO Steven Hofer, accompanied by mill staff, employees and union representatives. The tour lasted more than two and a half hours, and included a presentation, lunch and a full tour of the facility. The Saltair sawmill, situated in Ladysmith Harbour, is Western Forest Products' highest producing operation and runs two shifts, employing 180 local residents.
“The opportunity to visit the Saltair Sawmill, with the Minister of Forests, Steven Hofer and employees from Western gave us the bigger picture of Western Forest Products operations,” Higginson said. “They shared the challenges facing the industry and expressed hope that the new minister would work to strengthen the forestry sector. They also highlighted their new, state of the art continuous dry kiln that was completed earlier this year.
“Things learned as part of the tour, that I think will really resonate with the community, is that Western Forest Products has not exported a single raw log since 2021," she said. "The company is focused on sustainable growth, innovation and creating good paying, family supporting jobs in communities throughout B.C., including right here in Ladysmith.”
The Ladysmith mill incorporates a sawmill and four dry kilns with the facility contributing to the value-added market as their manufacturing process results in several by-products such as woodchips, sawdust and hog fuel, reused as products in other processes such as pulp and paper, bio-fuel, eco-logs for wood burning and other industrial and residential uses.
Parmar, when sworn in as minister of Forests on Nov. 18, said he hoped to bring a fresh perspective.
“I think it's going to be my opportunity... to come in here and work with the industry to find solutions to ensure that we have a vibrant and sustainable forest industry we can all be proud of for generations to come," he said.
