B.C. government commits to use homegrown lumber on major projects, including St. Paul’s Hospital

Premier John Horgan is calling for B.C. lumber only in the building of several major projects in the province as it looks to revitalize forestry.

Horgan made the announcement while speaking to the Council of Forest Industries convention in Vancouver on Friday, committing the use of engineered wood on the new St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver and the upgrade to the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria.

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“This is the beginning of the change our forest industry needs,” Horgan said, while also promising the same for the $20 billion in infrastructure being built over the next three years, including schools and housing.

“I have directed that all these projects consider the use of engineered wood as a primary building material, whenever and wherever possible,” he said.

The overall plan to drive renewal to the Interior forest industry will focus on increasing value-added production from a reduced wood supply, which the industry has been grappling with along with lower prices and record wildfire seasons over the past two summers.

Record cuts due to the pine beetle infestation years ago also led to a reduced supply.

“This will be a local process, led by those who are committed to the future of forestry in their regions, and who are willing to do the tough work to create a shared vision of a prosperous, competitive industry,” Horgan said.

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“We will expect the results to maximize the potential of the existing timber supply, maintain jobs, incorporate First Nations’ interests, and address the economic, cultural, recreational and other uses of B.C.’s land base.”

Horgan said he’s alerted the chief executives of the Interior forestry companies to help develop solutions along with local First Nations.

In a statement, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Doug Donaldson called the initiative a boon to local economies.

“This process will empower regions to maintain forest-industry competitiveness within a framework that is locally led and collaboratively driven, leading to a secure future for forest-dependent communities by building, creating and innovating using B.C. wood,” Donaldson said.

The government announced the museum’s modernization in Victoria in its throne speech, and a business plan for the new $1.9-billion St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver was launched in February.

The province announced last month that it was changing the building code to allow for construction of wood buildings up to 12 storeys using engineered wood, becoming the first Canadian province to make the change.

In January, the government also announced plans to revitalize the coastal forestry industry, in an overall effort to produce more logs in the province.

Susan Yurkovich, president of the BC Council of Forest Industries, said the industry was “highly supportive” of the new initiatives.

“We are a wood-producing province. We should have wood in our public structures,” she said.

The best way to help the forest industry is to grow demand, she said, adding that a strong domestic market could mitigate trade risks.

“When you grow demand for wood (domestically) obviously there is going to be a price advantage,” Yurkovich said, noting there is are no shipping fees or duties.

—With files from the Canadian Press