CROFTON, BC — The Conservative Party of BC candidate, Bert Chen, today committed to secure a funding commitment of up to $10 million to support the revitalization of the mill site in Crofton, British Columbia. The investment will provide critical support for the community after the mill closed in 2025.

“With the lost property tax revenues from the mill, the local Municipality of North Cowichan is unable to provide the funding to invest in an independent, municipally-owned water system for Crofton,” said Bert Chen, Conservative Party of BC candidate for Cowichan Valley. “As your MLA, I will secure the funding necessary to revitalize the entire Crofton mill site and ensure clean drinking water for residents.”

The town of Crofton has been built around the mill since 1956. The infrastructure needed to deliver drinking water to the community is part of the mill site and owned by Domtar. Since Domtar’s closure of the mill in 2025, there is uncertainty as to whether residents will still have clean drinking water beyond Domtar’s commitment that ends December 31, 2026.

“This site is ideal for provincial support due to the adjacent BC Ferries terminal, where a new Conservative Government will look at the appropriate land easements or acquisition to expand waiting lanes for the Crofton Ferry Terminal in order to alleviate congestion for this critical transportation link.”

A new Conservative Government under Lorne Doerkson is committed to supporting communities that have been affected by the disastrous industrial mismanagement by the NDP. We will support industrial communities going forward to revitalize our resource-based communities and create jobs for future generations.

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Media Contact:
Alex Shiff, Director of Media Relations
media@conservativebc.ca