On federal budget day 2025, Port McNeill Mayor James Furney—one of the founding signatories of the Alliance of Resource Communities—joined CBC Radio’s The House (co-hosted by Catherine Cullen and Susan Bonner) to discuss challenges and hopes for rural Canada’s forestry towns.
Furney began by reflecting on the effects of the 45% U.S. tariff on Canadian lumber imposed by U.S. president Donald Trump. Yet, he emphasized optimism in exploring new markets, particularly in Asia, to revitalize the region’s forestry industry.
“We need to reinvigorate those markets and rely less on that big one down south of us,” Furney said, noting that provincial efforts to strengthen ties with Asian buyers could bring new momentum to the sector.
Pivoting Toward New Markets in Asia
While acknowledging that tax incentives in the 2025 federal budget could offer some relief, Furney cautioned that they might not be enough to attract major investments back into small-town forestry.
“The forest industry has not been an attractive place for investment for a long time,” he explained. “We’ve lost the majority of our large company investments to the U.S., where they’re much better received.”
Despite the economic uncertainty, Furney described a community that remains resilient and hopeful.
Resilience Amid Economic Uncertainty
“We live in a marvellous part of the country,” he said. “We are surrounded by the best managed forest in the entire world … It grows faster than we ever get near cutting it.”
Turning to immigration policy, Furney voiced concerns about the federal government’s decision to limit temporary foreign workers and international students, stressing that such measures have unintended consequences for rural Canada.
“Those immigrants and foreign students are the backbone of so much of rural Canada,” he said. “They have kept remote colleges viable. When those programs are curtailed, it’s small towns like ours that feel the hit first.”
Immigration Shifts Impact Rural Education
Furney highlighted the impact of these policy shifts on North Island College, which lost half of its international students last year — a decline he said directly undermines the region’s capacity to sustain education and training programs.
As Budget Day 2025 unfolded, Furney’s remarks served as a reminder that Canada’s rural and resource-based communities remain central to the nation’s economic fabric, and that thoughtful, regionally balanced policymaking is vital to their future.
About the Alliance of Resource Communities
The Alliance of Resource Communities (ARC) is a coalition of Canadian municipalities advocating for sustainable, balanced, and economically viable resource development. Its founding mayors — including James Furney — represent towns and regions that depend on forestry, mining, and energy industries to sustain local economies and support national growth.
