Thoughts on BC Politics and More

“ BC’s forest industry is an industry in transition ,” said Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO, of the BC Council of Forest Industries, last September .   “ The industry is facing somewhat of a perfect storm – an array of market and operating challenges coming together at a time when we are also experiencing a significant structural shift in the availability and cost of fibre. These conditions are forcing difficult decisions, which are impacting workers and communities ”, she continued.   Who knew, just a few short months later, that perfect storm, she spoke of, was to get even worse ... due to the devasting impacts of a worldwide pandemic?   In a media release Thursday morning Doug Donaldson’s Forest Ministry, announced the provincial government will be taking additional action to help support people, communities and forest companies dealing with challenges from the COVID-19 crisis.   However, BC Liberal Forestry Critic John Rustad is clearly conce...

BC Liberal Forestry Critic John Rustad While the provincial government in BC has announced it will be deferring stumpage fees it charges forest companies, in the midst of COVID-19 crisis, the former BC Liberal Minister for Forests, and now Opposition Critic, has expressed several concerns. John Rustad, MLA for the riding of Nechako Lakes, stated, “ Forest companies were, and are, asking for help. Big steps are needed to reduce costs ”. Continuing, he observed, “ BC has become the highest cost producer in North America under the NDP and unless the cost structure is addressed, the future of forestry in BC will be very challenging ”. Still, and according to BC Premier John Horgan; “ As government, we had already taken a number of steps to help forest communities and the industry because they were facing tough times even before the COVID-19 crisis came along .” “ Now, we’re deferring stumpage fees (with interest) so companies can maintain th...

Here is a bit of a rant... John Horgan's NDP introduced their budget, and virtually all ministries took a funding cut.  No money for their wage mandate - it will all have to come from existing budgets (more cuts). No money for reforestation of lands hit by wildfires. Money cut from permitting at a time when it is painfully slow to get any permits in BC. There’s been zero progress by Horgan's NDP on the blockades. The damage being done to our economy and reputation is remarkable. I guess this is why the "shut down Canada" folks backed the NDP in the last election. After months of a sham consultation in the Northeast, government goes ahead with caribou protection. There is no science to suggest this will resolve the issue by itself. This will impact about 300,000 m3 annually of timber. Likely a local mill to close in Chetwynd and mounting pressure on a pulp mill in Quesnel. Worst part of this is that Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operatio...

Just two days ago, Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, announced that up to 25 British Columbians, affected by the downturn in the forest sector, were going to receive training and work experience in asphalt paving and heavy construction. In making the announcement he commented that, “ We know that heavy equipment operators and similar construction occupations will be in great demand over the next 10 years.  The provincial government is working with industry and unions to hire trainees and provide training for new career path opportunities that will allow British Columbians to support themselves and their families ”. With a government grant of nearly half a million dollars ($450,000) the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 115, in partnership with Emil Anderson Construction , Dawson Blacktop and Dawson Group will be delivering road-building and heavy-construction training programs for 25 individuals ...

Coastal GasLink photo showing trees lying across the Morice River Forest Service Road, which the Hereditary Chiefs took responsibility for cutting down. It's estimated over 100 trees have been cut down on a 3 kilometre section of the public road Day after day the NDP government of John Horgan has continued to do little by way of stepping in to assist in the resolution of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs blockading the rightful, and legal work plans of Coastal GasLink. Meantime, for some strange reason, Opposition leader Andrew Wilkinson’s BC Liberals are calling for the head of Forests Minister Doug Donaldson. Over six and a half billion dollars are involved in Coastal GasLinks pipeline project, which will travel a path from Dawson Creek to Kitimat, w here LNG Canada’s export terminal will be constructed . I would first like to take this opportunity to remind Wilkinson that Michelle Mungall is in fact the Minister for Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resour...

Just the other day, from the Alberta government, came news regarding the on-going, and apparently never ending, softwood lumber dispute: Their government’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Devin Dreeshen let it be known that … “ We are disappointed with the US International Trade Commission’s finding that Canadian softwood lumber hurts the US industry. Alberta will continue to support Canada in defending our forest sector through litigation and appeals, including at the World Trade Organization”. “We will continue making our case until it’s understood that the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber trade creates benefits on both sides of the border. The imposition of US duties on Canadian softwood lumber is completely baseless .” Regrettably the comments of then Minister of Foreign Affairs (now Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland -– back in early September -- seem hollow and echo as empty from afar in Ottawa. “US duties on Canadian softwood lumber ...

Living around the Salish Sea, we are all too familiar with the plight of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. We remember Tahlequah, the Orca who carried her dead calf for nearly three weeks in August 2018. It sent a message that captured global attention. The W ̱ S Á NE Ć people have a very close relationship with the Orca whales. They have fished the waters of the Georgia Strait alongside one another for generations. Now these magnificent creatures are at risk of extinction and both the Canadian and U.S. governments have listed them as endangered. The Orca is just one of more than 1800 species at risk of extinction in British Columbia. While our province is the most bio-diverse in the country, we are only one of three provinces that does not have species at risk legislation. Unfortunately, as we near the end of 2019, we are no closer to stand-alone legislation to protect the endangered species in the province. While the BC NDP government made the commit...

The provincial governments second Quarterly Report (2019/20 Financial Update and Economic Outlook) was released on Monday, and according the Finance Minister Carole James, all is well. BC Finance Minister Carole James “ Our government continues to show that investing in people while being strong fiscal managers is not only possible, it is fundamental to building a resilient economy ,” said Carole James, Minister of Finance. “ With careful planning and foresight built into every stage of our fiscal plan, BC is well prepared to weather the global storm, while delivering on our commitments to make life better for people .” One thing in the report however should be cause for concern, especially given the importance of BC’s forest industry, and other natural resources. Under the heading of “Risks to the Fiscal Forecast” (pg 11) the report states:   Natural resource revenues can be volatile due in part to the influence of the cyclical nature of these sectors in th...

The Lakes timber supply area (TSA) contains the headwaters of important tributaries of the Skeena and Fraser watersheds as well as numerous lakes, which include some of the largest natural fresh- water bodies in British Columbia (BC govt) Last Thursday (November 21 st ) the provincial government announced new allowable annual cut (AAC) numbers for the Lakes District, located just west of Prince George in Central BC.   The new cut announcement was made necessary in response to the end of the mountain pine beetle epidemic and salvage of dead pine in the Lakes Timber Supply Area (TSA), much as has happened in other areas of the province. As of last week, the new allowable annual cut (AAC) for the Lakes Timber Supply Area (TSA) will be 970,000 cubic metres, using three categories: a maximum of 400,000 cubic metres per year for live coniferous / evergreen trees   a maximum of 20,000 cubic metres per year to deciduous / leafing trees ... an...

One of the more controversial actions of the provincial government, in recent years, is the attempt to protect caribou by shooting wolves from helicopters. We can all agree that many caribou herds in British Columbia are at a crisis level. Some herds have gone extinct, some are close to extinction and others are in decline. What is more difficult is what to do about the predicament we are in. So far, the response from the province is to blame the wolves for being such efficient predators. Humans however, seemingly take no responsibility for the ongoing effort we have undertaken to assist the wolves through our persistent habitat destruction. It's a challenge to see that the long-term solution for solving the caribou dilemma is to actually shoot wolf predation into non-existence. In Question Period I asked the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, the Honourable Doug Donaldson, about the governments appr...