Forestry in Northern Ontario is an integral part of the region’s economy, but when the recession of 2008-’09 hit, the demand for lumber and other forest products decreased significantly. Many forestry companies were forced to lay off workers or shut down operations entirely.
“The forestry sector is faced with labour shortages across a variety of roles, and these are expected to increase over the next five to 10 years,” said Ian Dunn, president and CEO at OFIA. Similar to other employment trends, forestry is experiencing mass retirements, and finding ways to recruit and retain new employees has been challenging.
“There are over 23,000 trucking vacancies and that’s projected to double in the next few years,” Dunn said. “Getting timber from the forest to the mill all depends on truck drivers.” Jordan Hatton, director of economic development for Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, said “forestry is going gangbusters” and the community continues to integrate forestry operations into its economic development plans.
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Source: calgarysun - 🏆 63. / 52 Read more »