The Municipal District of 100 Mile House was shocked on Monday when announcement came that Norboard would be indefinitely curtailing the operations of their 100 Mile House OSB mill. The mill employs 160 people, most of whom live in the region and contribute to the economic and social fabric of the community. Norbord is one of three major forest sector manufacturing facilities in the South Cariboo, the other two being sawmills operated by West Fraser.
During a meeting with local and regional staff from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Provincial staff shared information with District Council on the Province’s Community Transition supports, including consideration and support for impacted workers, the social impacts such curtailments have on the community, and economic development supports to help communities transition long-term into sector diversification opportunities. The Province’s Community Transition supports are multi-ministry, and include the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Advanced Education, Service Canada, the Industry Training Authority, Community Futures, Work BC offices, post-secondary training providers, and others. The Community Transition process is being initiated at the request of the 100 Mile House Mayor and Council, and an initial launch meeting of a Community Transition Team will be scheduled for the near future.
Short term the District of 100 Mile House will be focusing on building a clear analysis of how the indefinitely-termed layoff will be likely to impact its local labour force and business sector. The Community Transition Team’s priority will be to engage with the Norbord company and PWCC Union Local #9 to reach out to workers to ensure they are able to readily access employment support, entrepreneurship and training programs following their lay-off dates in August. For now the Council feel that this two-month advance notice will help them to prepare and rally the available supports necessary to help mitigate impact on the community and prepare towards community resilience.
In the midterm and longer the District will be working to leverage potential growth sectors for the community to help offset any potential flow of job losses, looking to leverage opportunity from existing growth sectors in the community including seniors’ services, tourism, construction and contractor trades. The District is prepared and eager to collaborate sub-regionally with the Cariboo Regional District directors in areas G, H and L, recognizing that 100 Mile House provides both an employment hub and service centre for surrounding areas. The District of 100 Mile House is also a part of the Cariboo Regional District’s Steering Committee for a Labour Market Study analysing labour shifts and future labour opportunities in the region and the sub region as part of a 5 year labour strategy.
Mayor Mitch Campbell summarized the feelings of Council after the meeting with the province: “We are highly sensitized to the impacts this announcement will have on workers, families and businesses in our community. We know the forest sector is and has been poised to be shaken up, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure 100 Mile House is resilient as a community, as an economy, and as a workforce. We know that it is going to take the efforts of everyone working together to collaborate around creative and innovative solutions that will help to drive the future of our town. In the meantime, we encourage people to shop local, and really be mindful about helping to support the businesses here who have chosen to invest in our community.”
For its part, the District of 100 Mile House has been positioning itself in preparation for forestry downturn implications by investing in its public infrastructure to support resident attraction and retention, while maintaining its debt-free credit status should large-scale infrastructure needs arise in the future. The District remains hopeful that the company will be willing to see future investments made to the site that will support employment in the community and help to maintain stability for the community.
