Funding supports new manufacturing jobs for people in B.C.
January 12, 2024
Provincial funding for manufacturing is creating and protecting thousands of well-paying jobs for people in B.C. and promoting the development of made-in-B.C. products, with a focus on advancing the value-added wood sector.
The $180-million BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF) supports for-profit organizations to plan and launch shovel-ready, high-value industrial and manufacturing projects that bring direct benefits and stable, family-supporting jobs to communities, while driving clean and inclusive growth throughout the province.
Support for wood products manufacturing throughout B.C. is an ongoing focus of the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund to protect forestry jobs and create more positions in the sector for every tree harvested. The BCMJF has seen strong uptake across the forestry sector, announcing more than $22 million to forestry-related projects so far to grow B.C.’s value-added wood manufacturing sector. In addition, the BCMJF is helping forestry sector operators modernize and adopt technologies that will reduce dependence on old-growth trees and create new opportunities for fibre supply.
The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is also supporting other manufacturing sectors such as food and beverage, transportation equipment and fabricated-metal product manufacturing sectors, as they invest in advanced technology that helps ensure workers gain the opportunities and skills needed to sustain and grow the manufacturing sector in B.C., while also improving productivity to meet market demands.
The BCMJF funding will help create more than 450 jobs, while also maintaining and protecting more than 780 existing manufacturing jobs throughout B.C. As much as $36 million has been committed to 25 capital projects and 13 planning projects for manufacturers looking to expand and fortify their operations through the introduction of new product lines, upgrading outdated equipment and building new facilities. These funded projects represent more than $300 million in capital investment being made in the manufacturing sector in B.C.
Source: Read more here
