THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

By Ward Stamer, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson

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SOUND OFF: Forestry isn’t a side industry

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PREMIER [DAVID] EBY’s MANDATE LETTER to Forests Minister Ravi Parmar ordered the ministry to help the forestry sector achieve a harvest target of 45 million cubic metres per year – a staggering 50 per cent increase over last year’s total.

That sounds good on paper. But it’s not going to happen. And when it doesn’t, you can already hear the excuses: permitting delays, overlapping consultations, a permitting backlog, and the usual regulatory maze.

Now there’s talk of Ottawa imposing quotas on Canadian softwood exports to the United States, a move that would add even more uncertainty. And you can bet this NDP government will use it as another excuse to stand back and let the annual allowable cut continue to slide further downward, pretending their hands are tied.

Well, we don’t have the luxury of pretending.

Even if the total harvest is only 30 million cubic metres, BC Timber Sales should still be producing at least six million. Instead, it’s on track to deliver less than three. That’s not sustainable – not for our mills, not for pulp and paper producers, and not for the forest communities that rely on that fibre.

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We need fibre. We need certainty. And we need to keep our mills running.

Instead, BC’s forestry sector is being starved by red tape. The delays, the contradictory rules, and the constant shifting of the goalposts are putting people out of work and sending investment elsewhere. This is happening despite repeated promises from Premier Eby and Minister Parmar that permitting and approvals would be accelerated.

Six months after those promises, the situation is worse, not better.

So how would these rumoured quotas make things better? They won’t. If anything, they’ll make things worse – because it will be up to the government to decide who gets to process and export softwood lumber to the U.S., with even more pressure on an already restricted fibre supply.

Prices will rise, uncertainty will grow, and the fallout will hit hardest right here in BC, which produces 40 per cent of all Canadian softwood lumber bound for the U.S.

Let’s not forget: quota systems have been proposed before, and the industry has consistently rejected them—because they don’t work. They’re messy, they’re political, and they come with added costs, including duties and tariffs that don’t go away just because a quota system is in place.

Meanwhile, Minister Parmar keeps showing up in forestry communities. He smiles for photos, holds round-tables, and assures people he’s listening.

But that’s not enough. The real problem isn’t lack of awareness – it’s lack of action.

There are systemic failures inside his ministry and across this NDP government. And until those are fixed, no amount of touring or talking will solve the crisis in forestry.

One of the biggest systemic failures? Stumpage. BC has the highest cost for fibre anywhere in North America. That puts our mills at a competitive disadvantage before a single tree is even cut.

Stumpage needs a full reset. Not a Band-Aid. Not a temporary tweak. If there’s going to be a new softwood lumber deal tied to a broader Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement, this is the moment to finally overhaul our outdated stumpage system. Sadly, I don’t believe this government will do it. Instead, they’ll keep jacking up rates and driving more operators out of business.

So is it fair to say Premier Eby and Minister Parmar are abandoning forestry communities It certainly looks that way.

We don’t know yet how hard quotas and duties will hit our sector – but we do know this:
there will be more curtailments. More shutdowns. More people out of work. And unless something changes, pulp mills will be next.

What do forestry families need? Not another speech. Not another loan. They need real solutions:

• Cut the red tape and fast-track permitting and Indigenous consultation processes that are now taking years instead of months.
• Legislate a guaranteed fibre access floor for BC Timber Sales, so that mills know supply won’t fall below a minimum threshold.
• Reset the stumpage formula to reflect market realities, not political games.

Forestry should be a renewable, sustainable industry. But it also needs to be an investable one. If we want it to remain the backbone of BC’s economy – for this generation and the next – we need to act now.

Every week brings more signs that this province is heading toward a record deficit – rumoured to be between $16 and $18 billion.

If this government doesn’t get serious about forestry, it won’t have the financial base to fund healthcare, education, social programs, or the infrastructure BC needs to move forward.

Forestry isn’t a side industry. It’s the backbone of BC’s economy – and if Premier Eby and Minister Parmar keep ignoring it, everything else will collapse with it.

Ward Stamer is the former Mayor of Barriere. Elected in October 2024, Ward is now the BC Conservative MLA for Kamloops – North Thompson and Opposition Critic for Forests.

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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.