Canadian Bavarian Millwork and Lumber Ltd. in Chemainus will receive as much as $1.4 million in provincial funding to help build its new facility and buy advanced equipment.
Through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, the province is contributing as much as $2.5 million to the Chemainus company and eight other wood-product manufacturing businesses to plan or complete capital projects.
This may include building new or upgrading existing facilities to scale their operations, buying new equipment to help maximize production and fibre utilization, and reduce waste, or conducting planning activities to support future capital investments.
The upgrades at Canadian Bavarian Millwork and Lumber will boost production capacity and expand the use of fibre to produce new solid and engineered wood products.
This expansion is expected to create five to 10 new jobs, and will include training for current staff on state-of-the art, AI-enabled features of new machinery, laying the groundwork for long-term growth and innovation.
"We are honoured to receive support from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, which will help us modernize and expand our operations in Chemainus," said Georg Woernle, owner of Canadian Bavarian Millwork and Lumber.
"This investment empowers us to enhance production of high-quality millwork and wood products, while creating skilled jobs in our community. With this support, we're strengthening our commitment to sustainable manufacturing and ensuring our long-term competitiveness in the B.C. forestry sector."
The BCMJF has helped drive more than $588 million into forestry-product manufacturing, leading to the direct creation and protection of nearly 3,600 forestry-sector jobs, many in regional, remote and Indigenous communities.
"It's no secret our forestry sector is facing many challenges, making these investments timely, while I continue the fight to secure every dollar from Ottawa to support people in B.C.'s forestry sector," said Ravi Parmar, minister of Forests.
"These companies are vital to their communities and this funding is one way we are working with them to help protect jobs, support local economies and build a sustainable forestry sector for generations to come."
