March 13, 2024
Forest industry unions Unifor, United Steelworkers and Public and Private Workers of Canada say they want to be part of key reforms in the industry
Nick Morrison is married with two young sons and a mortgage on a home in Crofton.
But every day, the 42-year-old welder at the Paper Excellence pulp mill wonders if he will wake up to a layoff or permanent job loss — and may have to start commuting to remote job sites in the oil and gas sector, or just pull up stakes and leave the community he calls home.
“It’s definitely hard and it does wear on you personally,” Morrison said Tuesday, as about 200 unionized forestry workers gathered at a Victoria hotel for a sobering look at a deepening crisis in the industry.