THE Government of British Columbia is providing more than $4 million for 12 new mass-timber demonstration and research projects, which builds on B.C.’s global leadership in this area.

The government said that B.C. is a leader in developing and utilizing mass-timber products, technologies and services that are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while changing the face of construction throughout the province.

“Mass timber advances the construction of climate-smart buildings built with a renewable and sustainable product that helps grow our province’s clean economy,” said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, on Wednesday. “Investing in B.C.’s mass-timber sector allows us to get more value from every tree harvested, while supporting good jobs for people throughout B.C.”

There are eight demonstration building projects and four research projects receiving funding from the third intake of the Mass Timber Demonstration Program (MTDP). Projects range from a new indoor aquatic centre in Golden to a mixed-use development featuring an 18-storey mass-timber tower in Vancouver’s Killarney neighbourhood. This will help further expand the use of mass timber in B.C.’s construction sector by providing designers and builders with real-world knowledge and experience they can learn from.

“Having our mixed-use River District project be a part of the Mass Timber Demonstration Program allows us to access valuable experience and learnings, while developing a mass-timber project of this scale,” said Graham Brewster, director of development, Wesgroup Properties. “We look forward to working with and contributing to B.C.’s homegrown, world-class mass-timber knowledge and industries with the shared goals of building greener buildings and better communities.”

The Province said that supporting mass-timber construction brings it closer to its goal of building a more sustainable, inclusive and innovative economy for people, businesses and communities throughout B.C.

Jagrup Brar, Minister of State for Trade, and Chair of the Mass Timber Advisory Council, said: “A history of bold steps and achievements in building innovation has established our province as a global leader in the mass-timber sector. As the home of the first mass-timber building on the continent and the tallest hybrid mass-timber building in the world in its day, we know mass timber is the future of sustainable design and construction in B.C.”

Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, added: “As we move forward to build a strong, sustainability-managed forest sector, we are making sure to support the people and communities who have built B.C. forestry into the world-class industry it is today. Modernizing our forestry sector means retrofitting forestry operations to get more value from every part of the tree, while strengthening our economy and ensuring good-paying, family-supporting jobs for generations to come.”