I read of Timberwest’s proposal for a new production facility in Nanaimo with a certain irony.
I think of Campbell River, a small city located in the middle of one of the most productive forests in Canada. I think of a city that has some 7,500 acres of managed private forest land within its city limits.
I think of our central location and access to deep-water ports.
I think of my younger neighbours working in Fort McMurray while their wives and children reside here anticipating that property values will rise so that the family does not lose everything when they sell.
I then remember the saw and pulp mills and the reasons they closed. I recall a municipal political issue with Timberwest, now moved to the courts for resolution, and I no longer ponder on Timberwest’s choice of industrial location.
Still I wonder what a $60 million investment in a pellet manufacturing facility could have contributed to the forestry industrial cluster in Campbell River?
While 15 well-paying union jobs does not sound like much, how many part-time seasonal jobs would be equivalent?
Having more disposable income translates to eating out more, building a family, buying homes, cars and shopping more often, all of which translate into more demand and opportunities for the community as a whole.
How long will the residents of the Campbell River area tolerate a municipal government that appears hostile to industrial investment?
William L. Wagner,
Campbell River