Thoughts on BC Politics and More

While BC Forest Minister Ravi Parmar boasts about the government planting 231 million tree seedlings in 2025 ... here's some facts people might be interested in . During the 2024 provincial election, the BC NDP promised there would be 300 million seedlings p lanted every year.     ... the BC NDP promised to plant 300 million trees annually across the province to “help increase forest resilience.” How has that worked out, you might be asking? Two years ago there were 280 million seedlings planted (BC government news – 12/23/2024) -- last year just 231 million seedlings were planted.  That’s 49 million fewer than in 2024 – and 70 million fewer than the promised 300 million. An yet it seems BC NDP Forest Minister Ravi Parmar feels this is something to be proud of, as noted in an “X” (formerly Twitter) post he made on December 30 th when he said: "In 2025 alone, 231 million tree seedlings were planted in BC ... e nsuring the land base stays strong for generations ...

Premier David Eby and federal minister Dominic LeBlanc are in Vancouver today for a high-profile forestry summit, promising support for workers and businesses struggling under the weight of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty.   We welcome any real relief for forestry workers and their families, but let’s not pretend this summit is anything more than damage control for a crisis the NDP helped create.   The annual allowable cut (AAC) in BC is approximately 63 million cubic metres; however, last year, before Trump’s new tariffs, we only harvested 32 million.   This year? We’ll likely fall below 30.   That’s not because of international trade. That’s because of years of provincial mismanagement, red tape, and policy paralysis.   David Eby’s government has tied the forestry sector in knots with broken permitting systems, ideological land-use policies, and a stumpage model that has left us uncompetitive, undercut, and exposed. Now, with tariff...