Forestry by Bruce Archer West Coast forestry workers in British Columbia are reaping the benefits of a new forestry employ- ment initiative while securing the future of the forest resource through their hard work. New Forest Opportunities, a For- est Renewal BC funded company which started operations in April 1998, employs hundreds of forest workers; many of whom were dis- placed from the industry in recent years, as well as First Nations forestry workers and other qualified local workers. Many workers are employed on enhanced forestry projects, including juvenile spacing, pruning and brush- ing activities. However, the real suc- cess story with New Forest are the employment benefits that are part of the parcel with working through the company. “Prior to New Forest, basic employ- ment benefits such as funding for medical and dental coverage, employer RRSP contributions, holi- day pay and other benefits were rarely found in the enhanced forestry industry,” notes Bob Beard, a former Prior to new forest basic employment benefits were rarely found in the enhanced forest industry. - Bob Beard, President, NewFo senior forestry executive who is now President and General Manager of New Forest. Beard played a key leadership role in negotiations to reach a Collective Agreement with a Council of I.W.A. Coastal Locals, which now covers all workers employed through New For- est. He drew upon his 35 years of experience in the forest industry to pilot the initiative through a sea of red tape, while being frequently buf- feted by competing stakeholder interests. All activities are funded by Forest Renewal B.C., an investment agency of the B.C. Government, which is financed through stumpage collected from the provincial forest resource. industry workers benefit from New Forest Opportunities jobs ° Bob Beard “The project work funded by For- est Renewal serves to enhance the rroductive capacity and yield of the forest resource, while encouraging greater economic and employment stability in the communities throughout the coast,” explains Beard. Workers benefit in many other fundamental ways. Through New Forest, workers are assured they can earn decent “family supporting” wages while they are working on FRBC funded projects, and will receive their pay cheques on time, and receive all they have earned. This was not always the case before New Forest was established. The New Forest success has been achieved in the face of reduced fund- ing from Forest Renewal BC a conse- quence of the lower stumpage rev- enue for the corporation. It is hoped that a recovery in the markets will result in a return to more traditional funding levels for enhanced forestry by Forest Renewal B.C., and the opportunity for longer term employment for New Forest workers. As well as providing employment opportunities to displaced forest workers, New Forest is also support- ing other options for workers who seek to access the skills, training and education that will lead to employ- ment either within the forest indus- try or through transition into a new field of endeavour. New Forest delivers the Forest Worker Transition Program, (FWTP) the B.C. government’s initial response to the widespread displace- ment that occurred in the coastal for- est industry due to the collapse of the Asian market and other fundamen- tal changes in the industry. Set to conclude in March 2000, the FWTP has provided services to more than 10,000 displaced forestry work- AS e All FRBC jobs are financed through stumpage collected from the forests. ers throughout the province. New Forest is also delivering the Forest Worker Re-employment Ser- vices Program. This recently intro- duced Forest Renewal B.C. Program assists displaced forest workers in their search for new employment opportunities. Now in the latter half of its second full year of operations, New Forest has successfully provided employ- ment for a large number of workers. More than 1,600 individuals have been employed on project work since New Forest was established. The emphasis with this work is improved continuity of employment; workers who have been successfully employed on projects in the past are the first to be rehired for more pro- ject work in the future. “The forest industry is changing,” notes Beard, “And wherever there is change, there are challenges and opportuni es: New Forest is meeting the challenge, and through this new way of doing business in the coastal enhanced forest industry we are endeavouring to provide a strong measure of secure and stable employ- ment opportunities for forest work- ers.’ Funding needed for rec projects Long-time forest industry employ- ees Les Owen, Ray Radamaker, Surup Dhillion and Ed Bardsley are wondering what is next for them. The former West Coast Plywood workers, with a 129 years of forest industry experience between them, have been getting by with the help of FRBC-funded recreation projects, as Les Owen says, “thanks to GET. have been lucky enough to get enough work to always qualify for E.L since the mill closed in 1995.” This year will be different though, the four calygat called to this Edie October 6 and were laid off December 17, a far cry from having enough hours to be eligible for E.I. benefits. With F.R.B.C. phasing out the recre- ation funding next year the future is unclear for the former plywood employees as Les notes. “I thought the Jobs and Timber Accord talked, at least in part, about funding recre- ation projects, hopefully someone will see the value in them.” G.V.R.D. project supervisor Matt Harmeson agrees by saying “this has been a perfect marriage of resources, we have been ecstatic with the work of the guys.” “Over 400,000 people a year come through this area and the publichave made many favourable comments on the work the crews have done,” he said, - with notes from Ron Corbeil i 2 ey Dhillon and Ed Bardsley. ¢ At work in the Seymour Demonstration Forest are former West Coast Ply- wood employees 1. to r. Ray Radmacker, GVRD rep Matt Harmeson, Surup LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1999/11