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By Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Who is looking out for our forestry workers?

Mar 9, 2023 | 3:03 PM

IN TIMES OF HARDSHIP, people look to government for leadership and action to make things better. But that’s not what B.C.’s forestry workers are getting from Premier David Eby and the NDP.

As mills close around the province and others worry about an uncertain future — including Aspen Planers in Merritt — the NDP government seems more intent on managing the decline of the industry rather than trying to save it.

The official opposition has long called for a plan to ensure the future of the forestry sector, but that call has been repeatedly ignored by the government. As it delayed taking action, we have seen dozens and dozens of curtailments and closures throughout British Columbia.

This government shouldn’t need any more evidence of the critical situation faced by our forestry-dependent communities. The sector is clearly in crisis, and this second-term government cannot simply sit idly by while hundreds of people lose their livelihoods and communities are hollowed out. B.C. has already lost about 850 forestry jobs over the past few months.

While the province has made some announcements of supports for the industry, none of them have addressed the dire issue of dwindling fibre supply and providing companies with certainty. In Merritt, the lack of logs and cutting permits has sidelined about 150 employees, some of whom are second- and third-generation workers, not to mention the contractors and truck drivers also affected by the shutdown.

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Meanwhile, after years of promises, the government has also failed to secure a softwood lumber deal with the U.S. Now, the Americans are taking steps to protect themselves, to the detriment of our own forestry sector. U.S. President Joe Biden recently committed to using only U.S.-made materials, including lumber, in all federal infrastructure projects going forward.

What we need is a new, clear vision for the future of forestry in B.C., and that requires leadership. The government needs to show that it believes in a sustainable, vibrant and economically viable sector, but so far it has failed to provide that reassurance.

The NDP’s recent budget also provided little indication of a renewed focus on forestry or other natural resource industries. We learned that natural resource revenues are dropping by 33 per cent over two years. And instead of cutting red tape, the government wants to hire another 160 public sector workers to try to reduce permit backlogs.

Time and time again, we have seen this government dismiss rural B.C. and our forestry-dependent communities, their workers and their families. Sadly, it is everyday people who will pay the price.

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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 Pattison Media.