BC Conservatives Back Campbell River’s Call for Action on Coastal Forestry Crisis
CAMPBELL RIVER, BC: A scathing open letter from Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl has amplified growing concerns across British Columbia’s coastal communities regarding the collapse of the forestry industry under the NDP government. The BC Conservative Caucus is standing in full support of Mayor Dahl’s call for urgent action to save what’s left of the coastal forestry economy.
“Mayor Dahl is right, this is not a natural downturn. This is a made-in-Victoria crisis caused by policy chaos, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and a government that talks about resilience while watching mills shut down,” said Ward Stamer, Official Opposition Critic for Forests and MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson. “Campbell River, Port Alberni, Powell River… these aren’t just dots on a map. They’re working communities that have been abandoned by the very government that promised to protect jobs.”
Since 2019, coastal harvest volumes have plummeted by over 40%, and more than 5,400 direct forestry jobs have disappeared in just the last three years. Meanwhile, the NDP’s 2025–26 budget projects harvest levels of just 32 million cubic metres, far below the 45 million cubic metres the government once said was the minimum to keep the sector viable.
“This is not just about trees. It’s about paycheques, local tax revenue, and community stability,” said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island. “The premier can’t talk about building homes with engineered wood and growing B.C.’s mass timber economy if no one can get wood out of the forest in the first place.”
The Conservative Caucus is calling on the Premier to immediately implement the solutions outlined in Mayor Dahl’s letter:
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Freeze any new restrictions until the current maze of policy reviews is completed.
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Set clear and reasonable approval timelines for harvest permits.
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Develop regulations that actually reflect the geography and conditions of the coast.
“Mayor Dahl has put the issue plainly,” added MLA for Kamloops Centre and Finance Critic Peter Milobar. “We are one more pulp mill closure away from collapse. It’s time for Premier Eby to decide: will he fight for forestry families, or continue managing decline?”
B.C.’s coastal communities deserve more than empty words. They deserve action.
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