“We’re going to lose so much if there’s no proper Transition Plan… All the recreation amenities and community services that we have worked so hard to build over the past 10 years… those will be the first to go,” – Port Hardy Mayor, Pat Corbett-Labatt.
By Fabian Dawson
and Samantha McLeod
For 35 years, the Browns Bay Packing Company, nestled just north of Campbell River, has been the heartbeat of countless Vancouver Island families whose livelihoods and stories are intertwined with the company’s legacy.
Tracing its roots back to 1913, when the Millerd clan first began processing salmon in the region, Browns Bay has grown steadily to become a vital hub for farmed salmon processing, while proudly supporting First Nations in their traditional and commercial fisheries.
This was supposed to be a decade of expansion – a time to reach new heights for the family – owned business whose employees live, work, and play in the coastal communities of North Vancouver Island.
But instead, the company finds itself facing an unthinkable reality: the looming prospect of closing its doors in 2025, ending an era of pride and purpose that propelled the economy of the region.
Over the past year, as the B.C. salmon farm production dropped off due to Ottawa’s activist-induced decisions, Browns Bay was forced to lay off more than 70 long-term full-time employees, many of them from local First Nations.
The company has also been forced to shelve plans for a state-of-the-art seafood processing facility in Campbell River planned in partnership with local First Nations, which would have added scores of jobs and millions of dollars to the local economy.
“At the height of COVID, we were declared an essential service to maintain food security and now in less than three years they are cutting our livelihoods…it just doesn’t make any sense to the hundreds of people who are losing their jobs,” said David Stover, co-owner and the CEO of Browns Bay Packing Company.
Browns Bay is not the only company facing this challenge – a predicament created by activist groups, heavily funded by affluent urban interests, who have swayed the Trudeau government to shut down salmon farms in British Columbia, despite there being no scientific or economic justification for the decision.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has also acknowledged that it has no data to show that the removal of ocean-based salmon farms will lead to a rebound of wild salmon populations, as the activists falsely claim.
The government is now in the midst of creating a Transition Plan after announcing a ban on open-net salmon farming in B.C. post 2029, which will eliminate B.C.’s top agri-food export, destroy 4,560 jobs, and adversely impact over 1,000 Indigenous people directly and indirectly employed by the sector, according to a recent economic analysis.
Like Browns Bay, over 1,400 companies and vendors in the sector’s supply chain will sustain losses of $437 million, with some having to shut down their operations, the analysis projected.
“Communities on Vancouver Island will suffer most, including Campbell River, Courtenay, Port Hardy, Sayward, Port McNeill, Port Alberni, Tofino/Ucluelet, in addition to mainland coastal communities like Klemtu and others,” the report stated.
One of the largest employers in Port Hardy is Hardy Buoys Smoked Fish Inc., which was founded in 1994 by Bruce and Carol Dirom.
At the height of its operations in a 24,000-square-foot facility, the company would have 75 employees processing almost 680,000 kilograms of fish, two thirds of which were farmed salmon.
This year, the company had to close operations early and stay closed until later in January because of a lack of fish, said Bruce Dirom in a recent video posted on social media.
“The fact is, without salmon farming, our smoked-fish business would likely be forced to shut down, putting us and 75 employees out of work. More than half of our team consists of First Nations members. Without the steady, reliable supply of fish from farms, we wouldn’t have the certainty needed to stay in business, he said, in an earlier interview.
Port Hardy Mayor, Pat Corbett-Labatt, said the impacts of further closures of salmon farms are “scary and very challenging” for her community.
“All the recreation amenities and community services that we have worked so hard to build over the past 10 years…those will be the first to go,” she said.
Corbett-Labatt said the Transition Plan which mandates B.C.’s salmon farmers to move to closed containment operations either on land or at sea by 2029 needs a rethink to not cause “an economic gap in our community.”
She is calling on the government to commit to building the necessary infrastructure, ensure enough power supply and financially support the salmon farming companies to switch to closed-containment farming – technology that is not far enough along to be implemented within five years.
“Right now, we do not have enough sustainable electricity supply to the North Island…so not only is closed containment not going to be feasible, but it’s also not going to happen here… The Federal Government needs to step up and come up with a viable transition plan, and build the infrastructure needed for that plan…We’re going to lose so much if there’s no proper transition plan,” said Corbett-Labatt.
According to the recently released economic report by RIAS Inc. Port Hardy and neighbouring Port McNeill, face a $54.5 million economic hit and 214 job losses as a result of the proposed ban.
In Campbell River, where 1,251 aquaculture-related jobs are at stake, the projected economic impact is estimated to be $321.3 million. In addition, about 500 vendors to the sector, who are based in the community, will be impacted.
Among them is InWater Technologies, a leader in aquaculture innovation that offers sustainable solutions to enhance fish health.
“This decision (to ban salmon farms post 2029) creates a highly uncertain situation for our small business, stalling our plans for growth and development. Our plans to expand our office space in Campbell River have been put on hold. This is one small example of the widespread impact of this decision,” said Stephanie King, CEO and Founder, InWater Technologies
In the communities of Port Alberni, Tofino, and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island’s West Coast, the proposed ban is projected to result in a loss of $134.7 million and over 500 jobs.
Also in jeopardy is the business relationship between Cermaq Canada and the Ahousaht First Nation located in Clayoquot Sound. Over a thirty-year generational cycle, the economic benefits of this protocol are estimated at $543 million to the Ahousaht Nation, all dependent on the finfish operations remaining in the territory.
The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) said the total cost of compensation for closing the current salmon farming ecosystem plus the subsidies to incentivize a rebuilding of the sector in B.C. using unproven technology would likely exceed $9 billion.
“The proposed ban is a reckless decision by the Trudeau government that ignores both science and economic reality,” said Brian Kingzett, Executive Director of the BCSFA.
“BC salmon farming companies, suppliers and First Nations within whose territories we operate have communicated to the federal government that transition cannot be a ban on marine net-pen salmon farms in less than five years and maintain a viable farmed salmon sector.”
The BCSFA and the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship have urged the Trudeau government to consider their more realistic, no-cost-to-taxpayers alternative to transition – one that achieves the same outcome as a ban without imposing devastating impacts on the sector, on First Nations’ rights, and on coastal communities in B.C.
“This begs the question: if the same outcome can be achieved using achievable innovative technologies, what is the justification for banning marine net-pen aquaculture in B.C. coastal waters by June 30, 2029?” they ask.
Estimated Economic Impacts of the proposed ban by region in B.C. and Canada – RIAS Inc.
(File Image courtesy of USW 1-1937 shows salmon farm employees and their families at a rally in Campbell River to save their jobs.)