A mass timber manufacturer in Okanagan Falls has received a huge boost from the provincial government aimed at expanding their facilities and creating more jobs.
Mercer Mass Timber, which purchased Penticton-based mass timber manufacturer Structurlam in 2023 following Structurlam’s bankruptcy, will receive as much as $7 million through the B.C. Manufacturing Jobs Fund to “invest in the future of their Okanagan Falls facilities.”
Mercer will be rehiring employees that were laid off when Structurlam shuttered, purchasing new advanced manufacturing equipment, modernizing the facilities, and scaling up on varieties of mass-timber projects.
According to the provincial government, the BC Manufacturing Jobs fund has proved popular with wood-product producers, with more than one in five applying to the program.
“We’re happy to have the opportunity to support businesses like Mercer Mass Timber in their drive to expand local mass timber operations and create new jobs in the Okanagan: this is great news," said Boundary-Similkameen MLA Roly Russell, in a press release.
"This investment helps get more value out of every tree harvested, while strengthening our local economy and reinforcing the Okanagan’s resilience and potential.”
Russell was joined by Jagrup Brar, Minister of State for Trade, on Wednesday at Mercer in Okanagan Falls to celebrate the announcement.
“Investing in B.C.’s mass-timber ecosystem is about strengthening our economy and leading the way in sustainable innovation for the future. Growing made-in-B.C. mass-timber production through this partnership helps our province remain a global leader and a prominent innovator and supplier of low-carbon building materials for years to come," Brar said.
The B.C. government has been supportive of mass timber in recent years. In 2019, they announced changes to the B.C. building code to allow the construction of taller than ever mass timber buildings.