The Ministry of Forests approached Indigenous groups in the southern Cariboo this week to try to get the sawmill in Chasm back open.

That’s according to Whispering Pines-Clinton Indian Band chief Mike Lebourdais, who says the province is looking for ideas.

“It’ll be different, it won’t be just two-by-fours. We’re going to have to change the whole business model we’ve been using for the past 60, 70 years here in B.C. and try and diversify what kind of products we sell. And more importantly diversify the market and who we sell it to. It can’t be just America, because when you get a president like the one they have now, who caters to American companies, it really hurts us here in the Interior of British Columbia.”

Lebourdais says one idea is his band and others potentially making an offer to buy the sawmill property.

“That’s an idea. One of things we want to do, is I have to reach out to the other bands… and see if we can put together a consortium that would be interested in taking over that property.”

West Fraser shut down the mill in Chasm in September which put 176 people out of work.