Laid-Off Mill Workers in Crisis: Fighting for EI Benefits as Jobs Disappear

Laid-Off Mill Workers Face Uncertain Future

Raw logs were being loaded for export at the shuttered Crofton pulp mill on Monday – just weeks after hundreds of local workers were laid off over a lack of wood fibre, and as about 120 sidelined Chemainus sawmill employees brace for their EI benefits to run dry.

Raw logs were being loaded for export at the shuttered Crofton pulp mill on Monday - just weeks after hundreds of local workers were laid off over a lack of wood fibre, and as about 120 sidelined Chemainus sawmill employees brace for their EI benefits to run dry.

Workers Speak Out: "I Want a Job, Not a Handout"

"I don’t want a handout, I want a job," said Brian Bull, who was laid off from Western Forest Products’ Chemainus sawmill.

"My EI benefits will run out next month. So as of next month, I basically will have no income," said laid-off Chemainus sawmill worker Randy Robertson.

Government Appeals Go Unanswered

North Cowichan’s mayor says repeated appeals to federal officials to grant workers the additional 20 weeks of EI benefits promised by the Prime Minister in the summer of 2025 have gone unanswered.

"There’s about 120 workers impacted at the Chemainus sawmill. The majority are set to lose their EI benefits next month. These are people with families, mortgages, bills to pay," said Rob Douglas, mayor of the District of North Cowichan.

"The hoops that people are having to jump through to try to access these 20 weeks is incredible," said Bull.

Job Search Challenges in a Declining Industry

Laid-off Chemainus sawmill worker Kenny Elzinga, 57, told CHEK News that he has tried to find a job in forestry, since those are the only skills he’s gained, but his hunt has come up empty.

"There’s no real work out here anymore. Now with Crofton going down, there's no work around here," said Elzinga, a single father.

"It’s hard to be optimistic about where we are right now," said Steve Bossons, who was laid-off from the Chemainus sawmill after 15 years of working there.

Calls to Stop Raw Log Exports

So laid-off Chemainus sawmill workers are urging the provincial government to stop raw log exports, like those coming out of Crofton on Monday. Elzinga said he fears their the Chemainus sawmill may never re-open, due a lack of fibre supply.

"Quit exporting our jobs out of here. Quit it. They have no problem shipping logs out of our division. Let us sit at home, doing nothing," said Elzinga.

"We need the federal government to step in and address these immediate issues with accessing EI."

Federal Government Response

Federal government media relations say long-tenured forestry workers are eligible for the additional 20 weeks of EI if they applied after June 15, 2025 — a cutoff that falls just weeks after Chemainus employees began filing for benefits ahead of an anticipated curtailment.

Workers say they will continue appealing for an exception in their case to secure the EI benefits they need, which they stand to lose in March.