The Canadian province of British Columbia is "fighting back against U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s economic threats" by providing funding to forest and wood manufacturing businesses through the province’s BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF).

Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, gathered with workers and members of the Salmon Arm, B.C., community to celebrate a new kiln obtained by Canoe Forest Products. The company's mill produces CSP (Canadian Softwood Plywood) plywood and veneer from sustainably managed forests.

The new kiln was made possible with funding from the Province’s BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF).

“When a giant throws punches, you don’t fight with one hand tied behind your back. That’s why we’re taking strong action to protect B.C. jobs, industries and workers,” said Parmar. “B.C.’s local wood-manufacturing companies like Canoe Forest Products are at the heart of our communities and are the best of what ‘Made in Canada’ has to offer.”

Canoe received more than $2.2 million in November 2023 to commission a new kiln, boosting both production and sustainability at its operation in Salmon Arm and help protect 200 good-paying jobs.

The new kiln will transform Canoe’s long-term business as a softwood sheathing, veneer and specialty-plywood manufacturer, allowing the company to diversify the species of wood it processes and reduce its reliance on Douglas fir. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% through the drying process.

Parmar is also visiting three other recipients of BCMJF grants. Tolko Industries received $8 million to help expand Tolko’s Heffley Creek operation. Family-run Gilbert Smith Forest Products in Barriere received $1.1 million to support facility modernization and new equipment. AcuTruss Industries Ltd. in Vernon received $100,000 to support the purchase and commissioning of equipment to manufacture precision cut I-joists through automation, while creating 12 new jobs.

The BCMJF has committed more than $97 million to forestry-sector manufacturers in the province. To date, these investments have incentivized more than $680 million in private sector capital flowing into forestry-product manufacturing. Combined, these investments have led to the direct creation and protection of more than 3,500 forestry-sector jobs, according to the BCMJF.