Creston’s J.H. Huscroft Ltd. is getting a bit of a boost from the provincial government.
Nearly $500,000 of the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is being invested into numerous Kootenay businesses, including as much as $400,000 to J.H. Huscroft.
“With our investment into a new sawmill sort line, we will be able to increase our sorting capability by three times to produce a wider range of specialty products and allow us to run multiple species at once,” said J.H. Huscroft president and GM Justin Storm in a release.
“This will help maintain our current and potentially new specialty-product markets. The funding from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund will allow us to complete the project in a timelier manner and shows a commitment to the value-added forest-product industry in British Columbia.”
The funding for wood producers and manufacturing businesses is meant to protect the workforce and strengthen communities.
“Strengthening rural, value-added businesses is critical to helping people live and work in the communities they love,” said Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Benda Bailey.
“That’s why we are supporting companies that add value to B.C. wood so they can continue to provide long-lasting, high-quality jobs for people in communities around B.C.”
The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is meant to support for-profit organizations, with applications for the fund being open and approved on an ongoing basis.
In addition to J.H. Huscroft, KC Recycling in Trail will be receiving as much as $50,000 and Trail’s Advanced BioCarbon 3D will be receiving as much as $40,000.
“Today, we are funding companies that are expanding our industries and finding new ways to get value from our forests and other sectors,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests.
“We are modernizing and innovating so that small communities in our province will have more stable economies and good-paying jobs.”