The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) says a rail strike would pose a severe risk to the forest sector and the economic stability of forestry-dependent communities across the province.
Vice President & Chief Economist Kurt Niquidet says the railway is the backbone of their industry, enabling the movement of lumber, pulp, and paper across North America and to global markets.
“A simultaneous work stoppage at CN and CPKC could result in tens of millions of dollars in weekly losses for the forest products manufacturing sector.”
Niquidet also noted that the impacts of a rail shutdown will extend far beyond their industry.
“The broader economic fallout on British Columbia could be devastating, disrupting the flow of goods, triggering job losses, and creating profound uncertainty in the rural communities that are the backbone of our sector. This situation underscores the critical; importance of maintaining a reliable and uninterrupted transportation network to safeguard Canada’s competitive position in global markets.”
COFI also released some key facts including that BC’s forest products exports were worth 11 billion dollars in 2023, that close to 360 municipalities and First Nations communities in BC are active participants in the forest industry supply chain, it contributed 17.4 billion dollars to the province’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product), paid 9.1 billion dollars in wages, salaries and benefits, and generated 6.6 billion in government revenue to support health, education and public services.
Niquidet says they are calling on all parties…employers, unions, and the federal government…to consider the far-reaching consequences of a railway shutdown and to work urgently towards a resolution.
The deadline to head off a threatened shutdown of Canada’s two major railways is midnight tonight.
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