Campbell River holds a strong position in the forest sector. An established infrastructure system is in place, supported by companies and suppliers that work closely to promote a sustainable and viable industry supported by relevant training and value-added processing and manufacturing.
The forest sector and its value-added industry employ approximately 4% of those active in the labour force in Campbell River. The community offers immediate and long-term opportunities for growth and success in a competitive global market.
In 2017, the Government of British Columbia reported that $992 million in government revenue came from the forest sector. It is estimated that the industry has generated 57,000 jobs in BC.
Over the decades, a highly-skilled local workforce has developed in the City of Campbell River. The City is home to 115 logging companies and 33 forest sector service companies. In fact, more than six per cent of local jobs are connected to the forest sector (Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey).
Local educational opportunities are available at both secondary and postsecondary institutions. With this support, we're always exploring opportunities for growth, including value-added processing and manufacturing.
Forestry Sector Overview [PDF/5.2MB]
Local Business Environment
Campbell River's forest sector is a tight-knit group of companies, suppliers and stakeholders. They work closely with the community to ensure growth and sustainability for years to come. Local businesses work with forest sector companies to develop innovative solutions in areas such as:
- advanced manufacturing
- transportation
- automated equipment and engineering.
Provincial and federal grants and supportive investments are also available through groups like the Forest Enhancement Society and the Forests for Tomorrow program.
Competitive Environment
Suppliers and supportive vendors for the coastal logging industry have grown up alongside forestry as a part of our community. These create hundreds of local jobs and offer massive benefits compared to other localities in British Columbia and across Canada.
The forest sector alone makes up more than six per cent of jobs in Campbell River. Local forest sector operators report that union jobs with good wages are increasingly attractive to families and young people. The quality of life in Campbell River helps attract new people to the workforce. That makes our City the home base for hundreds of forestry workers who operate in remote work-camp settings, providing a place for them and their families to thrive.
Forestry Sector Employment (Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census)
| Employment Area | Employed Campbell River Residents |
|---|---|
| Forestry and logging | 925 |
| Support activities for forestry | 125 |
| Wood product manufacturing | 90 |
| Furniture and related product manufacturing | 35 |
| Paper manufacturing | 10 |
| Total | 1195 |
Key Forestry - Related Occupations (Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census)
| Sector | Employed Campbell River Residents | Share of Campbell River Jobs | Share of BC Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor vehicle and transit drivers | 580 | 2.82% | 2.75% |
| Harvesting, landscaping and natural resources labourers | 385 | 1.87% | 1.19% |
| Technical occupations in life sciences | 270 | 1.31% | 0.40% |
| Logging and forestry workers | 260 | 1.26% | 0.17% |
| Life science professionals | 160 | 0.78% | 0.25% |
| Managers in natural resources production and fishing | 80 | 0.39% | 0.08% |
Municipal Support
Our municipal government continues to support the forest sector. This work includes developing the Forest Sector Task Force. This task force worked for two years to identify challenges and solutions for local forest sector companies in both business and tourism capacities. Activities conducted include:
- publishing a Forestry Information Supplement along with three related articles
- working with North Island Employment Foundations Society to hold a Forestry Employment Expo in September 2017, which featured approximately 20 industry participants and attracted approximately 100 attendees
- working with Tremain Media to produce the mini-documentary, Our Forests, Our People, Our Future
- funding a Vancouver Island Economic Alliance project to explore opportunities for value-added wood production on the island
Land and Real Estate
Campbell River has developed access to several thousand hectares of harvestable timber in our region. Careful management ensures this industry will remain stable for decades.
Land and commercial space is available for companies to create value-added products, including:
- more than 500 acres of vacant industrial land, plus nearly 500 acres of industrial land
- large industrial parcels, including eight vacant parcels of 50+ acres and five vacant parcels of 100+ acres
- vacant industrial land, including premium sites close to major highways and tidewater, suitable for a full range of wood processing and manufacturing activities
(Source: Campbell River Employment Land Strategy)
Transportation
Campbell River boasts a well-connected transportation system. The system supports the forest sector, connecting rural and urban markets across land and sea through:
- local tugboat operators, who tow log-booms to the ports of Nanaimo and Vancouver for global market access
- highways that lead to rural West Island and North Island communities and an extensive logging road network
- floatplanes, helicopters and passenger jets that provide access by air from remote locations and urban cities
Communications
Forest sector companies require access to strong communications infrastructure. In Campbell River, the forest sector can confidently utilize:
- fleet-level mobile phone networks
- dedicated phone lines across rural areas
- conference calling and video conferences
- large-scale radio communications
- enormous amounts of data transfer between companies, satellite offices and operations, government departments and international partners
- access to CRadvantage, a municipally owned, high-speed, fibre-optic broadband network that connects the downtown core, with room to expand to other areas in the future
Education and Training Opportunities
Educational programs in forestry and related industries are readily available from several institutions in the area.
North Island College offers the following programs:
- Coastal Forest Worker Certificate
- Coastal Log Scaling
- Heavy Mechanical Foundation
- Heavy Duty Apprenticeship Training
- Industrial Automation Technician Diploma
- Welding Levels B and A
Vancouver Island University offers the following:
- 2-Year Forest Resources Technology Program
- Bachelor of Natural Resource Protection
- Fundamentals of Forest Harvesting Practices Program
- Heavy Equipment Operator
- Heavy Duty Mechanical Foundations
Many companies will also provide entry-level on-the-job training.