By Anna Guy
L
oggers for millennia, the Lax
Kw'alaams Band’s big risk on
the Skeena Cellulose timber
rights has paid off, spurring an
economic engine that helps
define the Nation today.
It was 2001. The Prince Rupert, BC,
region was experiencing a major down-
turn in the forestry industry. The city's
main employer—pulp and sawmilling
giant Skeena Cellulose—shut down its
operations. Unemployment rates in the
First Nation were over 50 per cent.
In 2005, the Lax Kw’alaams bought the
timber rights during its bankruptcy sale.
Fast-forward to 2019, and the $4.8 million
investment has turned the community's
company, Coast Tsimshian Resources
(CTR), into the main forestry company
in the region, subsequently creating
multiple successful ventures for the Lax
Kw'alaams Band.
To seize the opportunities for Lax
Kw’alaams, and to enhance the opportu-
nities and quality of life for all members
of the Band, the Lax Kw’alaams Business
MARCH 2019 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 69
