Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer says B.C.'s forestry industry is in crisis due to over-regulation and a "lack of respect for the people who actually work in our forests."
Speaking in the B.C. Legislature Monday, Oct. 6, Stamer put the blame for closed sawmills in McKenzie, Chetwynd and Houston on "failed government policy" that led to not enough timber being available to harvest.
"At one time forestry provided more than 100,000 full-time good-paying jobs in this province. Today that number has been cut nearly in half," the BC Conservative MLA said.
B.C.-based forestry giant Canfor announced last year it was abandoning its plans to replace its closed sawmill in Houston.
“The ability to reliably access enough economic timber to run our manufacturing facilities is critical for our business,” Canfor president and CEO Don Kayne said at the time.
Kane attributed a declining harvest level partly to "natural disturbances," but also to "the cumulative impact of policy changes and increased regulatory complexity.”
The crisis, as Stamer called it, is not just about a lack of trees, but a lack of political will, the MLA posited.
"Bureaucratic tape, endless studies and ever-changing environmental regulations have made it nearly impossible for industry to plan for the future," he said. "When government policies shift faster than the growth of a spruce tree, investment dries up and workers pay the price."
Stamer said a lacklustre forestry industry has hit rural B.C. the hardest, far from where decisions are made.
"Forest towns don’t ask for much. They just want their fair shot to earn a living from the land that they’ve cared for for generations. Yet too often, decisions are made in downtown Vancouver, Victoria, where people have never set foot in a logging camp or seen a mill run," he said.
The MLA said removing red tape from the industry doesn't have to mean harming the environment. He said B.C.'s forestry industry contains some of the best stewards of the environment in the world, adding workers follow strict regulations and understand that healthy forests are key to the environment and the economy.
"But real sustainability means balance. It means protecting ecosystems, as well as protecting livelihoods and jobs. It means trusting local expertise, working with Indigenous Nations, and making science-based decisions, not political ones."
Stamer said B.C. needs to open access to sustainable timber, invest in modern mills and value-added manufacturing, and "cut the bureaucratic waste that strangles innovation in this province."
"We must keep more logs in B.C. to create local jobs and and ensure communities share in the benefits of the resources between them," he added.
"Forestry built this province, and with the right leadership, we can build it too. B.C.'s forest crisis is not inevitable. It’s a result of choices. With courage, accountability, and respect for rural British Columbians we can turn this crisis around and restore forestry as the proud, thriving industry it’s always meant to be."
— With files from Rod Link
