100 Mile House Mayor says mill closure at the end of 2025 underscores need for reform

VICTORIA — The mayor of a community in B.C.’s Cariboo region says U.S. tariffs on the softwood lumber industry “are the icing on the cake” for an industry in need of fundamental reforms as it prepares for the closure of a local lumber bill.

100 Mile House Mayor Maureen Pinkney says she won’t necessarily “point fingers at who’s doing what right or wrong, but what’s been happening in the last 20 years has not worked,” adding issues like the handling of forestry licenses and the annual allowable cut need to be redone.

“I was born and raised in this town, and it’s always been a forest town,” Pinkney said. “It’s definitely not run like it used to be. I would have to say, back in the good old days, things ran a little smoother.”

Pinkney said they need to go the “whole nine yards” when looking for new ways to do things.

“We really need something to change,” she said.

Pinkney’s comments come after West Fraser Timber announced on Nov. 6 that it will permanently close its lumber mill in 100 Mile House with about 165 jobs by the end of 2025, because the mill lacks reliable access to what it calls “an adequate volume of economically viable timber.”

The company added that “challenging softwood lumber demand, higher duties and additional tariffs have compounded this situation.”

While the community is aware of the issues facing the softwood lumber industry, Pinkney says the mill’s closure will have a “substantial impact” on the municipal budget and could lead to younger people leaving the community, whose current population of 2,000 serves a larger area of 20,000.

“This is a big hit to our revenues in taxation, when these things close down,” she said. Pinkney added that the community is still dealing with the effects of the mill closure that happened in 2019. “We don’t have another way to make up that kind of funding without some other business moving into that spot,” she said.

Pinkney says she has had a “good conversation” with British Columbia Forests Minister Ravi Parmar about provincial supports, and adds that her community remains hopeful as it looks for other opportunities.

But she also made it clear that the closure will reverberate through the community itself and the area at large. “So we know there are like 165 direct jobs, which means there are at least another 500 indirect jobs,” she said.

Pinkney said some of the affected workers will stay in the community, but others may move elsewhere. “We may lose some young families, and that is where it is really going to be a shame, because this is an affordable, safe place for people to raise families.”

Parmar said in a statement that his government is committed to supporting the community and workers after speaking with Pinkney, and representatives of the United Steelworkers.

“I’m heartbroken over this decision and can’t imagine the fear and anger that forestry workers and their families in 100 Mile House must be feeling right now,” Parmar said.

“To the workers affected — I want you to know that we are not going to give up on you. I’ve spoken directly with West Fraser and have been assured that they will look after their employees and work to find them opportunities at other operations across the Cariboo.”

Parmar’s statement also said that the closure is “another consequence” of U.S. tariffs, adding that they “further exacerbate the challenges and pressures the forestry sector is already facing, such as the end of the mountain pine beetle harvest, recent unprecedented wildfires and climate change.”

The Conservative Party of B.C. disagreed with Parmar’s analysis.

MLA Ward Stamer, the party’s forest critic, said in a statement that the closure is “devastating” and “yet another sign” of what he called the “NDP’s gross neglect” in managing the industry.

“Alarm bells were ringing long before the tariffs,” Stamer said. ‘The industry warned about permitting delays, rising costs, and shrinking fibre access, all ignored by this government.”

MLA Lorne Doerkson, who represents 100 Mile House, agreed, saying government has ignored every warning sign from the industry.

“One hundred-and-sixty-five people in 100 Mile House just lost their jobs,” he said. “That’s 165 families wondering how they will pay their bills and whether they can stay in their community. The ripple effect will hit every business on (Main Street), from the gas stations and restaurants to the grocery stores.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8. 2025.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press