A town hall meeting held at Nechako Valley Secondary School on Jan. 9 was "pretty full," said Vanderhoof District Mayor Kevin Moutray.
"It was a really healthy discussion and it was great to hear feedback from the community," he told the Express Friday, adding questions from residents covered a wide range of topics.
B.C. Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar was in attendance, which Moutray said was also a good part of the meeting.
"He introduced himself and talked about where he saw the ministry of forests going and he was also able to field a lot of questions. It was great that he put himself out there to answer questions and talk to the community."
Parmar told the Express he heard concerns about the future from people at the meeting.
"They don't know what's next. I stood up there and shared the fact that I didn't have all the answers today but what I do have three pillars and three commitments that I make to them - restoring confidence, honouring communities and reconciliation and standing up for workers," he said, adding he promised he would return to the community again and again.
He said people expressed their frustrations with government policies, major industry taking investments in the community and then deciding to leave.
"The social license of major industry in that community, the community of Fort St. James, the community of Mackenzie and Fraser Lake is absolutely broken and people are upset and I think they have every right to be."
It was Parmar's second time in Vanderhoof since he became the minister of forests two months ago.
Last fall Vanderhoof, with a population of about 4,500 people, lost its Canfor Plateau Sawmill when the company announced it would be closing it and one in Fort St. John.
The closure meant 260 people lost their jobs directly.
Vanderhoof's other mill, Nechako Lumber Co. Ltd. owned by Sinclar, is still operating with one shift, the mayor said.
When asked about the impact of the Blackwater Mine Project being developed south of Vanderhoof, the mayor responded that some people who lost their jobs with the Canfor sawmill closure were hired by the mine but "not a huge" number.
"It's not a directly transferable skill, but it is something we've been working on."
Mining is an important economic driver for the region, but it is "not the silver bullet that some people think it is," he said.
"That being said, we have to make sure as many jobs as possible stay local and we really lobby for that and to make sure we get those service contracts that can go to local companies."
Mayor for two years and on council for three terms before that, Moutray owns an outdoor work-wear store in the community.
As he looks to 2025 he said there will be a few tough years ahead.
He pointed to external pressures beyond council's direct control, such as looming softwood lumber duty increases and U.S.-elect president Donald Trump's promise to implement a 25 per cent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico.
"There is some really positive news on the contract side. It's not where people want it to be, but they are being innovative in finding work and I really commend them for that," the mayor said.
Some contractors that were supplying the Canfor mill are flying in to do camp work, he cited as an example.
Moutray said Vanderhoof is a vibrant and highly-entrepreneurial community and he is sure they will weather the storm and come through on the other side in a better place.
For more than a decade, council has been preparing for the possibility that a mill could close, he said.
"We did implement an industrial reserve, which is not a huge amount of money, but it is something that we put aside to soften the blow when we knew inevitably that a mill would go down. Looking at where the cut [Annual Allowable Cut] was you knew it was going to come at some point."
At the same time, the district has also invested in livability in the community with things such as a swimming pool and a skateboard park to keep young families living in the community.
Internet connectivity should be improving in 2025 as well, which Moutray said will be another way to attract people who can work anywhere remotely with a home based in Vanderhoof.
While most people fly out of the Prince George Regional Airport, there is a logging company flying crews out of the Vanderhoof Airport, which Moutray said is something very "very" new.
Information gathered at Thursday evening's town hall will be compiled for council, although Moutray said there was not much discussed at the meeting that was outside council's thought process.
"But it is good to have confirmation that you are on the right track and you are pushing where the community wants you to push."
Editor's note: This article was updated Saturday with comments from the Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar.
