Community-company relationships in forest-dependent communities in northern BC: Assessing the local, sectoral, and theoretical implication

This dissertation examines changing community-company relationships within northern British Columbia's (BC) forestry sector over time. The process of economic restructuring in the forestry sector has had dramatic impacts on forestry-dependent communities in BC. Economic restructuring has occurred alongside a shift in the provincial policy environment and the global adoption of a neoliberal ideological framework. There has been a discernable shift in BC away from state-centred Fordist-Keynesianism towards Post-Fordist neoliberalism. Neoliberalization of forestry has been aimed at 'freeing up' restrictions on markets, forest tenure, and processing activities. These processes have effectively allowed forestry companies to determine where and when production occurs. This has been mirrored by a shift within companies towards lean, flexible production. These shifts have weakened the formal and informal relationships between companies and communities and forced communities to adopt the neoliberal ethos of 'doing more with less'.;A qualitative case study of Mackenzie, Houston, and Quesnel was conducted to examine 1) the types of relationships forestry companies adopted when engaging forestry-dependent communities, 2) drivers of change, and 3) the role of place in shaping global and local forces. Key informant interviews and focus groups and analysis of historical data allowed for a rich understanding of contexts, processes, and outcomes at the community level. Analysis showed that companies have withdrawn from community involvement as they shifted from 'managerialism' to 'entrepreneurialism' . Analysis indicated that significant changes included retrenchment of company involvement, changed relationships with municipal government, weakening of local business sectors, and fewer resources. The results showed that changes in relationships were driven by globalization of forestry, consolidation of the Interior sector, corporate restructuring, and changing forest policy.;These findings suggest that the search for flexibility by forestry companies and the provincial government have left communities in the northern Interior with increasingly uncertain futures. Transition from resource-dependence towards 'new rural economies' will require the involvement of companies, communities, and the provincial government. This study has shown that increasing detachment by companies and lack of vision for regional development planning has further entrenched longstanding issues of dependence and vulnerability within the region.