National

Premier Eby says new markets, reforms will help forestry, but results will take time

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Jan, 2026 10:39 AM

Premier David Eby says a recent agreement advancing wood construction in China will deliver results for the forestry industry in British Columbia, but also acknowledges that it will take "time, energy and commitment" to create a sustainable industry.

A five-year-agreement between British Columbia's Forests Ministry and the Chinese government signed last week boosts the research, development and promotion of modern wood construction in China, and Eby says it is part of the work that will deliver results for the provincial forestry industry by diversifying markets.

Eby delivered the keynote address at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, B.C., Tuesday night, and says British Columbia's forestry industry has taken the biggest hit from U.S. tariffs.

A draft of the speech released before the event says punitive tariffs from the U.S. have had devastating effects on the foundational industry of forestry, including mill closures leading to job losses, and communities losing revenue.

The premier says his government has been fighting on multiple fronts, including tackling what he calls "long-standing structural permitting issues."

He says there are no quick fixes when it comes to permitting, but adds that "reform is overdue" in praising a recent landscape plan for the Nimpkish Valley on Vancouver Island as a milestone.

Eby says the plan has delivered higher harvest levels, predictability for industry and ecological protection bringing together governments, First Nations and industry to manage an area of 1,660 square kilometres near Alert Bay and Port McNeill.

These results will take time, he says, but "they are real" and "they are the future of a sustainable industry."

He says his recent trade trip to India has also shown him the significance of that country as a market opportunity, which can be realized through minor changes in outreach to furniture makers and high-end homebuilders.

Eby says the work around forestry is "challenging" and "it always feels too slow for the urgency of the threat," but promises that "predictable land access, permit reform, value added investments and new trading relationships" will deliver a better future for forestry.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. premier breaks ground on second hospital, cancer centre at cost of $2.88 billion

A long-awaited and often promised second hospital for the City of Surrey marked a milestone today with a groundbreaking ceremony promising the opening of the new facility by 2029. Premier David Eby says the start of construction on the new $2.88 billion hospital and cancer treatment centre is an anticipated and needed health-care expansion in one of British Columbia's fastest growing communities.

B.C. premier breaks ground on second hospital, cancer centre at cost of $2.88 billion

2 Canadian Sikhs sentenced for role in murder of man over drug debt

Andrew Baldwin, 30, who used and trafficked drugs, was stabbed to death on November 11, 2019, as he watched a movie with a friend in a basement apartment at Whalley in the Surrey city of British Columbia. While Jagpal Singh Hothi was charged with first-degree murder, his friend and accomplice Jasman Singh Basran, who tried to get rid of evidence, was charged with being an accessory, The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported on Monday.

2 Canadian Sikhs sentenced for role in murder of man over drug debt

One evacuation imposed, another dropped, as B.C. wildfires burn through September

The order is the only one issued in B.C. in the last 24 hours, but several other orders and alerts have been ended or downgraded over the same period, including orders covering 25 homes affected by the out-of-control McDougall Creek wildfire near West Kelowna.

One evacuation imposed, another dropped, as B.C. wildfires burn through September

Liberal MPs meet to prep for fall sitting, as Trudeau stares down slumping polls

Liberal MPs are gathering in London, Ont., to plan their strategy as the party grapples with rising discontentment toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Polls show the Liberals have sunken to their lowest levels of support since taking government in 2015, largely to the benefit of the Conservatives.

Liberal MPs meet to prep for fall sitting, as Trudeau stares down slumping polls

Canadian accused in U.S. of stealing cash using sleight-of-hand techniques

A Canadian man has been indicted in a U.S. federal court in St. Louis after being accused of using sleight-of-hand methods to steal more than $64,000 from more than 40 Walmart stores across the U.S. Thirty-seven-year-old Mohsen Akbari was indicted August 16th on one count of wire fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

Canadian accused in U.S. of stealing cash using sleight-of-hand techniques

Premier Eby 'white-hot' angry over Chinatown stabbing suspect's release from hospital

British Columbia Premier David Eby says he is "white-hot" angry over the day release of a man from a forensic psychiatric hospital before he was arrested for a triple stabbing in Vancouver's Chinatown. Eby says the decision to release the man boggles the mind, and he wants to get to the bottom of how it occurred.