BC invests $7 million into mass timber industry in Okanagan

A provincial government investment in the timber industry is bringing some jobs back to to the Okanagan. BC is contributing up to $7 million so that Mercer Mass Timber will invest in the Okanagan Falls area, according to a recent media release from the Ministry of Jobs. "We're proud that Mercer Mass Timber's headquarters are located right here in B.C., and that their manufacturing footprint will be significantly expanded in the Okanagan," Jobs minister Brenda Bailey said in the release. The money is coming from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund and will help Mercer Mass Timber bring back 28 jobs and finish a factory. "Supporting innovative manufacturing projects helps secure good, local jobs and reinforces B.C. as a global leader in the production and use of mass timber," Bailey said. READ MORE: Wildfire near Spences Bridge, B.C., explodes in size overnight as heat wave continues https://infotel.ca/newsitem/wildfires-bc/cp652420791 The company is going to be rehiring employees who were laid off when it shut down a previous business. "This support enables us to create jobs and boost the local economy,” Mercer Mass Timber’s vice president Brian Merwin said in the release. “We're excited for what's to come and how we can all make a positive difference within the industry." The jobs fund has also invested an additional $1.4 million to create 48 new jobs around Kamloops and the Okanagan. The fund spent $275,000 with International Steel Fabrication in Kamloops to retrofit a pellet mill to create 10 jobs and make working conditions safer. Waycon Manufacturing in Penticton is a metal fabricator that is getting up to $575,000 to expand its operation, get new equipment, which will create 12 jobs. In Kelowna, Heartwood Manufacturing is getting $154,000 to grow its office furniture business and create three jobs. Vernon’s Simolo Customs, a low-speed electric vehicle and street legal golf cart manufacturer, is getting up to $175,000 to expand production and make 20 jobs. Selkirk Specialties in Revelstoke is getting up to $250,000 to upgrade its timber processing and create three jobs. The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund has been able to create and protect 2,500 jobs in the forest sector. The fund has invested a total of $870 million in B.C. The ministry said that for every $1 million invested from the fund there is a total of $7 million invested in the province. To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas mailto:jtomas@infonews.ca  or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .