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BC launches Mass Timber Action Plan, funds 4 new projects

The B.C. government is throwing more support behind mass timber in the province, launching a Mass Timber Action plan and earmarking $1.2 million for four new mass timber projects.

B.C. Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon made the announcement yesterday at the University of Victoria where three mass-timber construction projects are development: a new student housing and dining facility; an engineering and computer science expansion; and the National Centre for Indigenous Laws.

“Mass timber is a triple-word score. It allows us to reduce our carbon footprint from construction, it adds value to our forestry sector, and it provides new opportunities for jobs, growth and innovation in every corner of the province,” Kahlon said in a news release. “Positioning B.C. to be a global leader in mass-timber research, engineering innovation and production is a key action in the StrongerBC Economic Plan.”

The action plan claims B.C. could have 10 new mass-timber manufacturers by 2035, which would create 4,400 new jobs in manufacturing, construction and design.

B.C. legislation now allows for mass timber buildings up to 12 storeys. Twenty-two B.C. communities have adopted this standard and, as of December 2020, 285 mass-timber buildings completed or underway in the province – the most in Canada.

The 2022 recipients of the Mass Timber Demonstration Program are:

• $500,000: P. Rock’s Monad Granville, a nine-storey multi-family residential building in Vancouver.
• $250,000: Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce’s the Confluence, a one-storey institutional building that will house their tourist information centre, chamber of commerce and meeting rooms.
• $246,000: Forefront Communities’s MAN 6, a three-storey mixed-use commercial/industrial building in Vancouver.
• $195,000: L’Alliance Française de Vancouver’s four-storey institutional building in Vancouver.

“Growing B.C.’s mass timber sector is key part of our government’s vision for the future of forestry – a future where we get more value from every tree harvested,” Forests Minister Katrine Conroy said in the release. “The Mass Timber Action Plan will help us transform the forestry industry and ensure workers and communities continue to benefit from secure, innovative jobs for generations to come.”