Prince George -based Brink Forest Products said it has submitted a detailed proposal with price to acquire four sawmills from Canfor Corporation on Sept. 24.
The announcement follows up CEO John Brink's announcement of submitting a letter of intent to Canfor earlier this month, following the closure of Canfor mills in Vanderhoof and Fort St. John on Sept. 4.
Brink has not yet publically disclosed the price he submitted to purchase the sawmills, located in Bear Lake, Fort St. John, Vanderhoof, and Houston.
However, in the Sept. 24 statement, the company said to assess the value of the sawmills, Brink enlisted Industrial Forest Service Ltd. (IFS) to analyze the renewable timber tenures. Their evaluation determined the fair market value and projected future timber volumes, which informed Brink’s proposal to Canfor.
Brink said the purchase of these mills are vital to maintaining local manufacturing jobs. The proposal, submitted alongside an addendum to the letter of intent, aims to create a new corporate entity if accepted by Canfor, with the potential to restore over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region.
"This acquisition is essential for Brink and the communities we’ve served for 50 years," Brink said.
"Canfor has been a strategic partner for over 30 years, and their sawmills are vital to the survival of our operations. With their impending exit from Northern B.C., we had to make a bold move or risk losing thousands of jobs that depend on this supply chain," he added.
Brink Forest Products, which started as a small operation with just three employees, now employs over 400 people across its facilities in Prince George, Vanderhoof, and Houston. The company advocates for keeping value-added manufacturing within timber-harvesting regions, a principle driving this acquisition.
The proposed acquisition comes amid serious challenges in B.C.'s forest sector, including high timber costs and economic pressures from U.S. tariffs. Brink currently operates at only 50 per cent capacity, and the closure of Canfor’s remaining mills could jeopardize its supply of primary lumber.
The company said it has a history of collaborating with First Nations and local communities to ensure their interests are considered. They are also engaging with community leaders and the United Steel Workers Union to explore potential job creation linked to the acquisition.
“This is not just about saving Brink Forest Products—it’s about preserving the livelihoods of thousands of families in Northern B.C.," Brink said, adding, “I’ve been here for 50 years, and I’m not going anywhere.”
