VICTORIA, B.C. — Hundreds of protestors gathered at the B.C. legislature yesterday to protest the U.S. softwood lumber tariffs and the movement of logs across the border.

“Don’t let the logs out,” protestor chanted, noting that log exports on the West Coast have hit an all-time high as companies find better value in exporting raw logs.

“Companies that reap the harvest and reap the benefits of our sweat are closing mills down around our ears and all you hear from them is the TimberWests of the world saying we want to export logs,” says IWA president Dave Haggard.

Unemployed mill workers said they are tired of seeing truck after truck of raw logs going south while they are out of a job.

“If the logs weren’t going out of the country, they’d open up more mills, there’d be more people working,” one unemployed forestry worker tells local media.

Meanwhile, the situation isn’t getting any better for B.C. mills. Federated Co-op is the latest to announce it will be shutting down its Canoe, B.C. operation for an indefinite period as of Monday. That will result in another 94 job losses.