During the steelhead’s 12-week migration window this summer, the BCWF said the DFO Interior Fraser Test Fishery at Albion did not detect a single Interior Fraser steelhead during the test fishing period. This is the worst result since records first began being kept back in the 1970s.

“The Fraser River late-run summer steelhead is a group of 10 discrete spawning stocks, four of which return to the Thompson River, two to the Chilcotin Watershed, and four to tributaries of the Fraser,” the BCWF stated in its release. “A total return of zero fish from this test fishery is unprecedented, though not completely unexpected.

“These runs have been scuffling along at Extreme Conservation Concern levels for 10 years while the federal government, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) resist the recommendations of their own experts.”

Over the last 10 years, the BCWF said the number of fish returns has ranged from a few dozen fish to a few hundred.

In 2018 and 2020 Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) conducted two emergency threat assessments on the steelhead populations in the Thompson and Chilcotin. Both times, they determined it to be endangered and at imminent risk of extinction.

“Despite those dire warnings from COSEWIC, the body of scientists assembled to advise the federal government on the status of wildlife, the federal government has repeatedly rejected adding these populations to the List of Endangered Wildlife in Canada under the Species at Risk Act,” the BCWF said. “A listing would compel the government to take immediate action to protect these populations, including reducing bycatch from non-selective fisheries.”

On Nov. 19, the provincial government released a status update on the Fraser River Late Run Summer Steelhead. In it, biologist Robert Bison noted that while zero fish were caught in the Chilcotin and Fraser regions, one was caught by the Brownsville Bar Test Fishery, which is believed to be a Fraser Steelhead.

Based on this catch, Bison estimates that the spawning population for the Thompson watershed is less than 19 steelhead this year, while the current spawning population for the Chilcotin could be as few as nine fish.

“The current forecasted spawner abundance for the Thompson ranks 49th over a 49-year monitoring time frame,” Bison reported. “The current forecast for the Chilcotin ranks 54th over a 54-year monitoring time frame.”

B.C. Wildlife Federation Executive Director Jesse Zeman said these figures are the definition of an emergency for the steelhead population.

“One hiccup, like a slide or a storm, could wipe out one or more of these spawning populations forever,” Zeman said.

Zeman said that the BCWF has been calling for an emergency listing of the Thompson and Chilcotin Steelhead since 2018. The steelhead fishery has been heavily curtailed, but Zeman said there are other oceanic pressures reducing its population.

The BCWF noted that steelhead spend part of their lives in the ocean and that selective fishing techniques would provide substantial benefits to the fish. They further accused Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) of ignoring a “growing body of scientific evidence” that suggests a high population of seals, sea lions and potentially even orcas is having a devastating effect on Pacific salmon and steelhead trout populations.

In a report made by the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, several recommendations were made to the DFO. They included conducting more research on the impact of pinnipeds, carnivorous marine mammals like seals and sea lions, on fish stocks and reintroducing some form of population control.

The committee agreed with the witnesses it spoke to that some degree of a sustainable seal harvest is needed to reduce the apparent negative impacts of pinniped overpopulation.

The BCWF believes that reducing predator populations will help fish stocks, like the Chilcotin and Thompson steelhead, bounce back. Zeman claims the DFO has taken no such action, thus far.

“They might as well call the Steelhead Action Plan the Steelhead IN-Action Plan,” Zeman said. “We’ve said for years that the provincial and federal governments are managing these fish to zero, and here we are, at zero.”

The BCWF sponsored a study by Dr. Murdoch McAllister, who found that a variety of hatchery program methodologies could be applied to the issues facing steelhead populations in the B.C. Interior. Many variables were considered, including using wild broodstock and timing the release of juvenile fish to help them avoid predation.

“Simply releasing large numbers of hatchery fish and hoping for the best isn’t always a winning strategy, as they draw the attention of predators such as wild birds and pinnipeds, who then scoop up so many fish that the number of wild-origin fish can be driven down even further,” the BCWF stated.

Any steelhead that did make it past Hells Gate into the Thompson and Chilcotin Watersheds will now overwinter in the region and complete their migration and spawn in the spring. Biston noted in his report that an update on their numbers will be released in the summer of 2026.

“If the number of returning steelhead truly is zero, the government will have stood by for nearly a decade without taking appropriate action to stop their extirpation,” Zeman said.

On Thursday, Nov. 27, around 9:15 a.m. Horse Lake resident Cory Forsyth was dropping off his trash and recyclables when he heard what sounded like a squeak coming from the trash pit. Thinking it was just the sound of the gate, he went about his business, but as he prepared to leave, he heard it again. Growing concerned, he decided to investigate and see what was making the noise.

“It was a small cry, a little faint cry. There was a lady beside me, and she said ‘did you hear that?’ and I said ‘Yeah, I heard that earlier,” Fosyth recalled.

With the help of the Lone Butte Transfer Station’s attendant, Forsyth said they grabbed a picker pole used for sorting through the garbage and began to dig where he was hearing the noises. As they worked, they eventually uncovered a bag they saw movement in, along with a flash of fur.

Thinking he’d found a cat, Forsyth said he and the attendant lifted the bag out of the pit and opened it up. Within, they were shocked to find a small, elderly, emaciated but still very much alive dog.

“After that, I went and got a box, a little bowl out of the share shack and Al (the attendant) put some water in there for him,” Forsyth said. “I felt really sad for the little animal. He was obviously still alive and could still be saved, so to speak.”

When he picked the dog up, Forsyth said that there was barely anything to the dog, who he believes had been starved. When he was set down, the dog was unable to stand on its own.

After ensuring the dog was ok, Forsyth said the attendant called his supervisors for direction, and Forsyth left after learning the dog would be looked after, noting he had a dental appointment. He told the 100 Mile Free Press he still feels the same way he did when he first found the animal, shocked and disgusted.

“I was disgusted. I can’t believe somebody would take a live animal and throw it away like that. Regardless of the dog’s condition or age, no dog should be treated like that,” Forsyth said. “I felt very disappointed in humanity. Anybody who can do that to a pet, just surprised me.”

Following the rescue, Forsyth posted photos of the dog and his story on Facebook, generating widespread outrage from the community. He said his goal in doing this was so that the person who abandoned the dog would be aware that the dog is being looked after.

Forsyth said that he doesn’t want people to go after the person who abandoned the dog. He noted that he doesn’t know the circumstances that would lead someone to do this, but reiterated that whatever they were, they gave them no right to throw a dog away like trash.

“I don’t know the person’s circumstances, and I don’t want to judge. The dog was an older dog and I could see it had long toenails that hadn’t been clipped; it obviously was starved,” Forsyth. “That’s why, in my post, I didn’t want to come across as angry or hateful to somebody. At the end of the day, there was a reason why the person did this , and it was the wrong reason. In my opinion, the moral of it is that if you can’t look after your pet, there are people and organizations that will help.

“That’s how it should have been handled rather than being disposed of like it’s not alive.”

Ultimately, Forsyth said he’s glad he was there and was able to help rescue the dog, noting he did not believe it would have survived the night had it not been found.

Kat Chatten, the Cariboo Regional District’s manager of communications, confirmed with the 100 Mile Free Press that the transfer attendant contacted the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Chatten said the dog appears to be ok. The dog is currently in the care of a local veterinary clinic.

“We’re happy it was a great outcome and we’re very happy for our contact employee. They did a wonderful job,” Chatten said.

Sgt. Trevor Medernech of the 100 Mile House RCMP confirmed that his department has received reports about this dog and talked with those involved. At this time, Medernech said there will be no additional police investigation.

The BC SPCA, meanwhile, told the 100 Mile Free Press that they have received several calls about this dog through their Animal Helpline, but at this time the dog is not in their care. They have opened an animal protection file and encourage anyone with firsthand information about the dog to call 1-855-622-7722.

Editor’s Note: The 100 Mile Free Press originally reported that the dog was in the care of the BC SPCA, based on a CRD statement. After checking with the BC SPCA we found this not to be the case and have updated our reporting accordingly.

The Lasses are the gardeners behind one of the more unique vendors to debut at the South Cariboo Farmers Market this year: Hungry Plant Pals. From their home on Barnett Road, they’ve spent the last several years growing and cultivating a wide range of carnivorous plants. Now they seek to share them with the community while educating people about biodiversity.

“Carnivorous plants, they turn around, a little bit, the food chain as we know it. It spins the wheel, which I’ve always found pretty fascinating,” Christian said.

Christian said his love of plants began back in his native Germany from a young age, maintaining his own garden as a boy. When he went to school, he studied botany alongside biology and pharmacology before eventually pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry, looking at ways to use medicinal plants in modern medicine.

In 2016, Christian came to Canada to work and have an adventure, eventually getting a job at Big Bar Ranch as a gardener. It was while Big Bar was hosting a botany conference that he met his future wife and partner, Eleanore, quite by chance.

“We both like identifying plants and have herbariums, so we were a little bit nerdy in that way,” Christian recalled.

For her part, Elanore said she moved to the Cariboo in 2015 from the Okanagan and now works as a rangeland researcher ecologist for Range Ranch. Much like her husband, she’s always had a love for botany and learning the names of different plants. In university, she also studied botany, specifically what different kinds of plants can tell you about the landscapes they inhabit.

“It became this ongoing appreciation for what’s out there. With plants, you’re never done learning about them, which is the fun part of it,” Elanore remarked.

It’s little wonder then that when the couple married and settled down in 2018, their home soon became full of plants and animals. The Lasses’ home is filled with terrariums housing quail, tarantulas and isopods. In addition, they also have many plants growing on their shelves and cabinets, including a small greenhouse for their carnivorous plants.

Christian and Elanore have always been interested in carnivorous plants, but it was only after they began living together that they began to grow them. Christian said he spent a few years teaching general biology and anatomy at Thompson Rivers University in Williams Lake, where he started growing them in the lab. He would take them home, and, over time, they began to grow more and more of them.

“When you grow plants in your house, you have this little relationship with them; they’re your buddies. You can see how they react to different places in your house if they’re too cold or too warm, it’s just fun,” Elanore remarked.

Elanore said that part of their interest is the fact that the study of carnivorous plants is still a relatively new field that most people are unaware of. While many people associate them with tropical regions, she pointed out that B.C. has its own species of carnivorous plants, such as sundews and even pitcher plants.

“In Wells Grey, you can find different sundews and whatnot,” Elanore noted. “We’re learning new things all the time. With the Venus flytrap, we know it can count. It has little hairs in the mouth, and if it gets pressed twice within a certain time frame, it closes.

“Then there are other new things being found about the compounds in digestive enzymes and how different the Sarracenia (trumpet pitcher plants) have different digestive enzymes and photosynthetic methods from the different butterworts. It’s a burgeoning field.”

In their home, the Lasses grow venus fly traps, different species of pitcher plants, different species of sundews, butterworts and more. All told, they have around 15 different species, though they only sell a handful.

Christian said that in the wild, carnivorous plants typically grow in boggy areas with high levels of water, weak soil and with little nitrogen. Over generations, they’ve evolved to derive some of the nutrients they can’t get from the soil by trapping insects and small animals. Some, like venus fly traps, use hinged leaves to trap insects, others, like sundews, use sticky leaves, while pitcher plants grow leaves that fill with water and drown insects and sometimes even small rodents.

When people try to care for carnivorous plants at home, one mistake many make is potting them in regular soil. Paradoxically, this will often kill the plant as it’s not adapted for such nutrient-rich soil. Christian said he and Elanore pot their plants in sphagnum moss.

This not only mimics the low soil content of their natural environments, but also remains moist for longer, which carnivorous plants require. He also recommends using more acidic water, which would kill most other plants.

Elanore and Christian also have deliberately cultivated fruit flies in their home so their plants can naturally feed. He remarked he once had a fruit fly problem at the TRU lab, which a pitcher plant cleared right up.

As they’ve gotten better at cultivating these plants, the Lasses have begun to run out of room in their home. That’s why they decided to form Hungry Plant Pals and start selling these plants at local markets. Along with the plants, they also hand out information cards with information on the plants and how to properly care for them.

In fact, education is something that both Lasses want to make a larger part of their business. The couple are working on potentially bringing their plants to local schools to share their love of botany and nature with students.

“I worked at a nature centre in Vernon for three years as their education coordinator, and I really enjoyed that,” Elanore said. “We’re both big fans of that hands-on, nature-based education. By bringing these plants into the classrooms, we can teach units on photosynthesis, carnivorous plants, ecology and symbiosis. We both have that background and skills to bring something to the table like that.”

In the meantime, Elanore and Christian said they intend to attend more markets next year to sell their wares and spread their message. They added that anyone who wants to learn more or ask for advice on growing a carnivorous plant can follow them via social media at Hungry Plant Pals or by emailing them at hungryplantpals@gmail.com.

That’s a lesson that Simon Lake resident Donald Lipsett had to learn the hard way last week. Lipsett said he got a call from a man claiming to be from Telus offering him a new deal on phones. The caller was convincing enough that Lipsett gave him his credit card information before realizing his mistake. While he didn’t lose a large amount of money, he still wants people to know how he got scammed.

“It’s certainly aimed at seniors, although I suppose you could modify it for anybody,” Lipsett said. “I certainly won’t be the first senior they’ve approached, I’m sure, and I won’t be the last.”

The original call came in on Thursday, Nov. 13. Lipsett said a fellow called them with an Alberta-area number, claiming to be a promotional representative of Telus. He told Lipsett that Telus was embarrassed that so many customers were complaining about high bills and was offering them a seniors loyalty account, which would reduce their monthly bill and an offer to purchase new phones.

Lipsett said that he and his wife had been thinking about buying new phones and decided to engage with the purported representative. This was despite Lipsett admitting there were a few red flags they overlooked in the heat of the moment.

“We’re Koodoo clients, not Telus clients, but Koodoo is under Telus, so we thought it might be legitimate,” Lipsett explained.

After getting the information from him, Lipsett said the caller led him through accessing his Koodoo account and seemed to know exactly where he was from screen to screen, further enhancing his legitimacy in Lipsett’s eyes. After walking them through the new promised rate and the new iPhone 17-pros they could purchase, Lipsett said he told them there would be a $28 shipping fee for each phone.

“He took, and I gave him, my credit card information and processed two fees that, when they showed up for the next three days (on my) CIBC Visa account, as two $28 fees. The name on my CIBC statement was Koodoo Web Store 9871, Edmonton, Alberta,” Lipsett recalled, adding he also provided his driver’s license number.

On Friday, Lipsett said he called back the man to talk about some potential computer and satellite TV options, noting that Telus’ High Speed Fibre Optic Internet is coming to his area. Once again, the caller spoke with confidence about it to him, making him feel he was legitimate.

The scam fell apart, however, on Saturday, Nov. 15, when Lipsett received a text message from Koodoo telling him there was a lot of suspected fraudulent activity on his account. Growing concerned, Lipsett went to Andre’s Electronic Experts, the local Telus dealer, for answers.

“They just looked at what I’d said and said, ‘this is fraudulent. There’s no such senior’s account,’” Lipsett said. “So I went back home and cancelled the card.”

Lipsett said he then went to the 100 Mile House RCMP to report the fraud and called the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report the scam as well. Later on that same day, Lipsett said the scammer called him back and tried to get him to click on a Google verification notice.

“By that time, I did know it was fraudulent, so I told him he wasn’t getting any more information and I’d gone to the police. He hung up,” Lipsett said.

In the end, Lipsett only ended up losing just under $60 and now has to get a new credit card after cancelling his old one. Thinking back, he noted that what he should have done was not pick up the phone and just let the call go to voicemail. He noted that if it’s important, people will typically leave a message.

“I should not have given out any personal information and should have gone to my Koodo account or to Andre’s to question it before getting further involved,” Lipsett remarked. “Heck of a learning experience, but boy, slick. The way he walked me through the account just sounded like he knew what he was doing. He certainly did know what he was doing.”

Lipsett said following this incident, he’d like to remind the community to be really cautious about any unsolicited offers they receive. He also strongly recommends against giving out any credit card or personal information to someone you don’t know.

“Be cautious, very cautious, about any offer that might sound too good to be true,” Lipsett said. “Absolutely don’t give out personal information over the phone. Telus and Koodoo have both told me since they would never ask for credit card information on the phone, as did the Canadian Fraud Centre when I contacted them.”

Suspected fraud can be reported to 100 Mile House RCMP at 250-395-2456.

Taylor is one of 165 West Fraser employees who were informed earlier this month that they’ll be losing their jobs by the end of the year. He said receiving the news on Thursday, Nov. 6, was absolutely devastating for him and his coworkers.

“One week, we were told, ‘Hey, we’re doing really, really well, we have permits for logs.’ Just the way they put it, we thought we were doing really well, that we were going to go from four shifts maybe back to five,” Taylor recalled. “Then, last week, we were all brought into the lunchroom, and I got to see the heartbreak on everyone’s faces. It was a devastating bombshell that came right out of the blue; it impacted everyone.

“It’s pretty sad. After we heard the news, I could see the look on some people’s faces, the heartbreak. Some people just bought brand new houses, brand new trucks, broncos, toys, everything, and then we get this dropped on us.”

Coming home to his family that night was rough, Taylor said. He noted he called his wife after the news and almost broke down. His daughter, meanwhile, found out about the closure at work before he got a chance to tell her.

An employee of West Fraser for the last 15 years, Taylor said he’s been a jack of all trades for the company. He’s worked as a lumber grader, supervisor, stack operator and most recently bin attendant. Despite how it’s ending, Taylor said he still looks back on his time with West Fraser fondly.

For Taylor, the best part of working at the mill was the number of opportunities it provided him. He noted that 12 years in, he got the chance to become a supervisor, which had been a long-time goal of his. Traylor said the experience of learning how to lead a team was a rewarding one.

“I would like to personally thank West Fraser for believing in me, giving me the opportunities I dreamt of. They’re a great company to work for,” Taylor remarked. “I love these guys, I love the people I work with, but it’s just a sad way to end it like this.”

Now that he knows the mill is closing, Taylor said he and many of his co-workers are trying to figure out what’s next. Taylor said he’s considering trying to get a job at a mine or hibernating through the winter and trying to get a job on Enbridge’s upcoming Sunrise Expansion Project.

“As for relocating, it’s probably last on my list, but if I can’t find anything around here, I’ll probably sit down with the wife and maybe talk about a potential relocation. I’ve spent three-quarters of my life here. I’m 42 years old, this is the place I thought I would retire,” Taylor said. “But, in a situation like this, I have to do what’s best for my family.”

Taylor said he has talked with his coworkers about their plans in the past to get a sense of where their mentality was and what their Plan B was. For those who have been there for more than 40 years, he predicts they’ll just retire early. People like him, who still have families, will struggle with this change.

“If I were 22, there are opportunities elsewhere. They always say the grass is greener on the other side. When I went through job to job like this before at a young age, it was no biggie, but 42 years old, it’s tough because we envisioned our careers at West Fraser,” Taylor remarked. “We’re trying to lift each other’s spirits up, but I can see deep down inside, I sense heartbreak and fear.”

He did note that West Fraser is working to come up with a list of jobs at other mills they could potentially transfer to. Taylor noted that some people are afraid that if they pack up and move to a new mill, this might just happen all over again.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Taylor summarized.

BC Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar told the 100 Mile Free Press that the news of West Fraser’s closure was heartbreaking. He asserted that it is the result of United States President Donald Trump’s attack on B.C. Forestry Sector. In its statement announcing the closure, West Fraser alluded to tariffs and called the fibre available to their 100 Mile operations “uneconomical.”

“Forest workers pay the price, pay cheques get impacted, and livelihoods get impacted. This is a big deal for the 160 workers, but this impacts not only those workers, but also the workers and people living in 100 Mile,” Parmar said.

When asked how his ministry will be supporting workers on the ground in 100 Mile House, Parmar said they’ll have people on the ground who will connect with workers like Taylor about next steps. Parmar pledged the government would not “allow 100 Mile to go through this alone.” He also indicated he plans to visit the community himself in the future.

“The Province of British Columbia will be there every step of the way to not only help during these challenging times, but also help restore confidence in the forest sector in 100 Mile House and the Cariboo,” Parmar remarked. “We’ll have more to share on that in the days and weeks ahead.”

Mayor Maureen Pinkney said the District of 100 Mile House is also ready to support workers in any way they can. She noted that the WorkBC Centre is a good place to start and that the district is updating its Path Forward booklet, originally written following the closure of the Norbord OSB Plant. She said they also plan to meet with ministers like Parmar and send letters to other levels of government.

In the short term, she said, members of the Jobs and Economic Development Group from the Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth. They’ll be sitting down with workers to provide counselling and job training.

“We’ve definitely been talking to the agencies that are going to be talking to the workers, and we’re happy to see there is a lot of support for the workers who are directly impacted,” Pinkney said. Hopefully, some of the contractors who didn’t work at the mill but worked very closely with them are also able to get into that assistance. Our main focus is on our community, the loss of taxation and getting replacement jobs for all those jobs.”

Rob Baron, regional manager of operations for West Fraser, said the firm considered all options before deciding to shutter its 100 Mile House sawmill.

“The conditions that precipitated the decision to go to permanent closure are really entirely related to long-term viability related to the high cost of saw logs coming to this mill,” Baron said.

Baron said it was a combination of tariffs impacting the revenue side of things, while haul distances and other costs raised expenses on the production side.

He and 100 Mile Lumber’s general manager Jeremy Schmidt took questions from 100 Mile House town council Nov. 12, just six days after West Fraser announced the wind-down of mill operation by the end of December.

Baron noted that an earlier conversation he had with the district in June about issues relating to cutting permit approvals had been resolved and didn’t factor into the closure decision.

West Fraser will be maintaining its local silviculture commitments regardless of the mill’s closure, he said.

As for the property itself, he answered a question about West Fraser selling the mill by saying anything is possible.

“Our plans, such as they are, are to wind down operations. It flows through the log yard, then sawmill, then kilns, planer mill and then shipping,” Baron explained. “While we still have our full complement of hourly employees, we’re going to get the plant in a steady and safe place so it goes through the winter undamaged. We’re going to lose our source of heat as soon as we start processing.”

Since the wind-down was announced, Baron said they have been talking extensively with their employees about how the shutdown will happen. They’re currently getting their coordinator set up and have resources on site to help their employees through the transition.

Baron had no hard numbers on how many employees plan to retire or stay in the community, noting that everyone is different and has decisions to make.

“As far as people interested in relocating to stay working for West Fraser, both in the hourly work force, production and trades, and also salary, management type employees, we’re only starting to get together the full list of vacancies across Western Canada,” Baron explained.

“We put a hiring freeze on in Western Canada, for both hourly and salary positions, and therefore we’ll try and place people as we can.”

Mayor Maureen Pinkney said she was surprised the firm was going straight to closure.

“We’re obviously hoping we can keep helping as many people as we can, and (your workers) are obviously going to be looking for other jobs. Any hint of something else going in there or anything we can help facilitate, we’re here and open for business to try and keep jobs in our community,” she said.

On Thursday, Nov. 6, West Fraser Timber Company announced that it will be permanently closing both its 100 Mile House lumber mill and its Augusta, Georgia lumber mill following an orderly wind-down over the next two months. In its release, West Fraser cited timber supply challenges and current soft lumber markets as reasons behind these decisions.

“The 100 Mile House lumber mill is no longer able to reliably access an adequate volume of economically viable timber. Challenging softwood lumber demand, higher duties and additional tariffs have compounded this situation,” West Fraser stated. “The mill closure will impact approximately 165 employees at the site and reduce West Fraser’s capacity by 160 million board feet.”

West Fraser said it plans to “mitigate the impact” on affected employees by providing work opportunities at other company operations, where available. In the Cariboo, the closest West Fraser Sawmill is located an hour north in Williams Lake.

This news comes six years after West Fraser shuttered its Chasm Sawmill between 70 Mile House and Clinton, and five years almost to the day since Norbord announced the permanent closure of its sawmill in 100 Mile House. West Fraser – 100 Mile Lumber was the last major mill left standing in the area.

“The closure of these mills better positions West Fraser to compete in this challenging environment,” West Fraser said. “The Company expects to record restructuring and impairment charges in the fourth quarter of 2025 associated with this announcement and the factors outlined herein.”

District of 100 Mile House Mayor Maureen Pinkney said that the closure is very unfortunate for all the local workers who work for West Fraser. Pinkney estimated the closure will impact a further 500 jobs when looking at the whole picture.

“When you lose those good-paying jobs, it affects everything,” Pinkney said. “There’s no good time of the year for this to happen, but just before Christmas is even harder. Our retail stores rely on this expanded business period of Christmas to weather the storm for January, February and March. They’re not going to have that cushion.”

Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson agreed with Pinkney that this closure will impact far more than 165 individuals. He described the news as devastating and called it a “dark day” for the economy of the South Cariboo.

“West Fraser has been operating that mill for a number of years, and to find out abruptly, a month and a half away from Christmas, that the mill is going to be closed permanently is devastating, it really is devastating,” Doerkson remarked. “I know the industry is struggling, and I know the tariffs have been devastating, no question about that. There are a lot of challenges this industry has been facing, from the loss of timber through forest fire, to the pine beetle (infestation). We’ve got what I call a permanent crisis in this province. I think this has all had a cumulative effect and we’re seeing it today in 100 Mile House.”

Doerkson said that his understanding is that 100 Mile Lumber will continue to mill the remaining logs it has and close down once it is all milled. He added that he’s been told it’s likely the closure will occur in December once timber runs out.

Long term, Pinkney said that this closure will impact the tax assessment of the area. She noted they saw a similar decrease in assessment after the Ainsworth OSB plant shut down. Every loss means less and less infrastructure for 100 Mile House going forward.

Pinkney expressed frustration with the management of the forestry sector by the B.C. provincial government over the last several years. She noted that since 2017, there have been dozens of mill closures across the province.

“This is a renewable resource that never should have been managed this way, but when is it going to stop?” Pinkney asked. “I believe (the provincial government) has mismanaged the way the allowable cuts are, the way licenses are. There have been so many things wrong for so long.”

While Pinkney acknowledged that the new Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar, is proactive and seems to have some great new ideas, it ended up being too little too late for 100 Mile House. She said this closure represents the end of an era for 100 Mile House.

“This town was built on forestry. We were a lumber company. Back in the day, there were small mills out in the bush when they used to go to the trees, and then they started bringing the trees to the mill,” Pinkney remarked. “We were 100 per cent a forest town, but we are no longer a forest town. That is huge, it’s been there since the beginning of our community.”

Going forward, Pinkney said she and her council will continue to try to bring new industries to 100 Mile House to help bring more jobs to the community.

For his part, Doerkson also pledged to do what he can to support those losing their jobs transition into the future. He noted he’s already had conversations with West Fraser about supporting their employees and Parmar about potential government support. Doerkson said he doesn’t know what that will look like exactly, but plans to share more with the community when he does.

“I do know they’re going to involve the Minister of Jobs in this,” Doerkson said. “I think it’s probably too early to know what those next steps will look like, but I also think it’s wrong to suggest there are just 165 people affected by this. This is going to be a devastating blow to the economy of the entire South Cariboo.”