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By Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: When will the Horgan government take notice of the forestry crisis?

Dec 13, 2019 | 2:32 PM

FRUSTRATIONS REACHED A BOILING POINT this week for forestry workers around British Columbia who are entering the holiday season struggling to put food on the table as the forestry crisis worsens with no aid from the government.

Last week, a YouTube video surfaced of a closed-door meeting between frustrated constituents from struggling Vancouver Island logging communities and North Island MLA Claire Trevena. It showed several heated exchanges as workers strove to get their concerns heard by not only their MLA but a minister with a voice at the cabinet table.

The meeting clearly did not relieve any anxieties as the same people — and hundreds more workers, contractors and their families rallied outside the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia earlier this week. Forestry communities on the island have been hit hard with a strike that has dragged on for over five months without any government intervention.

However, these North Island forestry workers aren’t the only ones feeling abandoned by John Horgan. Workers across the province have been forced to watch as various programs — such as the Cannabis Business Transition Initiative — receive funding, instead of any relief being provided for the struggling forestry industry.

Despite claiming there is no money left to step in to aid the industry, John Horgan has been able to find enough taxpayer dollars to create a relief fund for illegal cannabis growers in the Kootenays.

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Conveniently, the Kootenay region receiving the funding happens to be home to two NDP MLA cabinet ministers.

At a time when the forestry industry is imploding, and workers are having to resort to a rally at the Legislature to be heard, this government is providing $675,000 dollars to help existing illegal cannabis growers in the Kootenays “overcome the barrier to operation in the legal economy” as they transition out of the black market.

While forestry in this province is in a time of crisis, it flies in the face of an industry desperate for government action to put taxpayer dollars into the hands of previously illegal enterprises instead. People are being pushed to the brink, some without a paycheque for months, yet the government in Victoria continues to turn a blind eye.

Last month, B.C. lost a staggering 25,800 private-sector jobs, and unsurprisingly natural resources and agriculture jobs have been the hardest sectors hit amidst the downturn. In fact, there have been more than 10,000 forestry sector-related job losses in 2019.

So to what point will the crisis have to devolve in order for John Horgan and his cabinet in Victoria to finally sit up and take notice?

In that meeting last week with Trevena, one constituent asked just that, “Victoria is its own economy. They don’t even feel what’s happening here, but the accountants, lawyers and politicians are all getting paid full time, full bore, on the back of all of us.”

The entire province is paying for John Horgan’s inaction during this crisis. The forestry sector is critical to the provincial economy and immediate action is required to save the industry and help the thousands of workers across the province who are hurting.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.