Today marks an important turning point for British Columbia’s industrial landscape.
Attending the BC Building Trades (BCBT) campaign launch today, I saw the foundation being laid for a coalition that extends far beyond a single union or industry. Through its We CAN Build Ferries in BC campaign, the organization is calling on our provincial and federal leadership to ensure future BC Ferries are built right here at home. Got to start somewhere.
While the paperwork has unfortunately already been signed off to build the next four major vessels overseas in China, this campaign isn’t just about looking back—it is a rally for the long game. It is about laying the foundation for every ferry, workboat, and vessel that will be built after.
The deep link between shipyards and natural resources
There is a story here that often gets missed in Victoria and Ottawa: the natural resource sector is the very foundation of B.C.’s shipbuilding industry.
You cannot separate forestry, mining, agriculture, and energy from our marine sector. We don’t just need ships to move people; we need an entire fleet of tugboats, barges, and supply vessels to transport our raw resources and finished products to global markets. Right now, a staggering number of the tugs and barges plying coastal waters were built outside of Canada.
Yet, B.C.’s shipyards already boast an impressive, world-class industry in ship maintenance, repair, and major overhauls—an industrial footprint that will only grow as Canada’s submarine programs and naval fleet upgrades expand. We have proven that our yards can handle sophisticated marine engineering, including massive non-combatant naval vessels.
Building our own ferries is the natural, logical next step to complete the circle.
Transitioning industrial workers and boosting B.C. energy
A thriving shipbuilding sector is essential for developing the next generation of skilled trade workers. We are facing a critical skilled labour shortage across the province, and shipyards serve as unmatched training grounds for Red Seal apprentices, welders, pipefitters, electricians, and heavy mechanics.
At the same time, B.C.’s industrial workforce is undergoing a painful transition. The recent series of major pulp mill shutdowns across the province—including high-profile closures in Howe Sound, Crofton, and Prince George—has left hundreds of highly skilled industrial tradespeople facing uncertain futures. These workers have spent decades running and maintaining heavy infrastructure, and marine manufacturing offers an immediate, high-value path to keep these family-supporting skills right here in B.C.
This brings us to another critical story the building trades need to be shouting from the rooftops: B.C.’s short-term energy capacity.
While we discuss building ferries for the long haul, our province faces an immediate need for firm electrical generation. The massive industrial boilers at these recently closed pulp facilities do not have to sit idle as rusted monuments to lost industrial capacity. Upgraded and repurposed, these facilities could be generating biomass and industrial energy to supply BC Hydro, backing up our provincial grid, supporting energy security, and keeping vital industrial sites active.
Building the coalition
Building a coalition for B.C. shipbuilding is gathering momentum. Being in the room today, it was clear that while employer groups may have largely been listening from the sidelines, the mutual benefit of bringing labour, resource industries, marine employers, and policy-makers to the same table is unmistakable.
BC Ferries failed to mandate local content rules for this upcoming round of vessels, forcing local yards to compete against state-subsidized foreign operations. We cannot let that happen again.
If British Columbia is serious about resource independence, energy security, and maintaining high-wage industrial jobs, we need to build where we live. The campaign launched by BCBT today is more than a bid for ferries—it’s a blueprint for B.C.’s economic self-reliance.
Richard MacIntosh is a retired International Representative for the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. He worked in pulp and paper, hydro dams, oil and gas, cement, and other heavy industries, and is a former instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology with decades of experience in trade education and union leadership.
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