SOUND OFF: NDP forestry solution is too little, too late for many
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AROUND MID-MAY OF THIS YEAR, mills across the province started to signal that troubles in the industry that had been expected post-pine beetle were finally starting to happen. Soon we began to see mill closures and shift curtailments throughout B.C. and little was heard from the provincial government, even as the situation continued to worsen. Several factors came together to create the current crisis we are now faced with.
Early in June, BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson called on Premier John Horgan to take five immediate steps to provide relief for both impacted forestry dependent communities and forest workers. Some of the suggested steps included reaching out to the federal government, temporarily reducing the carbon tax and stumpage fees, and providing extra support for workers and communities.
Here we sit almost four months later — just one week after a Surrey mill announced closures — and John Horgan’s government has finally tried to bring some help to Interior communities. The problem is that when you take a hard look at the $69-million commitment, you realize quickly that it is too little, too late for many.
For starters, why were the premier and forests minister so reluctant to ask the federal government for help when we first suggested they do so? Instead, we have watched the Horgan government delay so long that the federal election is now underway and it will take months for a new federal government to deliver any meaningful help.
