Premier David Eby Directs $110 Million to Build North America's Largest Mass-Timber Modular Housing Plant

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — Transforming British Columbia's forestry sector while drastically accelerating home construction speeds across the province, Premier David Eby and Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey announced a $110 million provincial investment on Monday to construct North America’s largest automated Mass-Timber Modular Housing Manufacturing Facility in Prince George.

The $280 million public-private manufacturing partnership, developed in collaboration with regional First Nations forestry enterprises and Canadian mass-timber leader StructureCraft, will feature robotic cross-laminated timber (CLT) assembly lines capable of fabricating 3,000 high-efficiency, multi-family modular apartment modules per year. Utilizing sustainably harvested B.C. timber, the manufacturing plant transforms raw lumber into precision-engineered, fire-resistant modular apartment sections—complete with pre-installed electrical wiring, plumbing, and drywall—shipped directly to urban construction sites to assemble 12-story mass-timber apartment buildings in under six months.

Revitalizing Interior Forestry Economies with High-Tech Advanced Manufacturing

The Prince George gigafactory creates 650 permanent, high-wage union manufacturing and engineering jobs in Northern B.C., providing vital economic diversification for forestry workers impacted by legacy sawmill closures. The project incorporates an innovative First Nations equity co-ownership model with the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation, ensuring that local Indigenous communities hold a direct 25% ownership stake in facility revenues and management.

Mass-timber modular construction provides substantial climate benefits, locking sequestered biogenic carbon inside solid wood structures while reducing construction lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 45% compared to conventional concrete and steel building methods.

"British Columbia has the best wood, the best forestry workers, and the most innovative mass-timber builders in the world," Premier Eby declared during the announcement in Prince George. "By building this world-class modular manufacturing plant, we are taking B.C. logs, processing them into high-value engineered housing components right here in Northern B.C., and building thousands of beautiful, affordable homes that B.C. families can afford."

B.C. Construction Associations and Indigenous Leaders Applaud

The BC Construction Association and the Council of Forest Industries (COFI) strongly commended the major investment, noting that mass-timber manufacturing addresses severe skilled trades shortages in urban centers.

"Industrializing modular home building using B.C. mass-timber is the exact economic and climate solution our province needs," said Linda Coady, President of COFI. "It creates stable, family-supporting manufacturing jobs in our interior forestry communities while delivering high-quality, sustainable homes for our growing cities."

Lheidli T'enneh Chief Dolleen Logan celebrated the equity partnership, stating that Indigenous co-ownership in value-added forestry ensures long-term prosperity for future generations.

Plant Construction Groundbreaking and Commissioning

Civil site grading and foundation construction in Prince George’s industrial park will break ground in October 2026. Robotic production line commissioning will proceed throughout 2027, with the first mass-timber modular homes delivering to BC Housing development sites in early 2028.