° Gary Kobayshi

Forest education
needed says |.W.A.

The convention passed a resolution calling on
the federal and provincial governments to
develop and fund co-coordinated public educa-
tion campaigns regarding the value, viability
and renewability of the Canadian forest indus-

aocal 1-85’s Jack McLeman said as well as
governments, the union should also play a role.

He said that “tree hugging teachers” are
unlikely to teach students that the forest indus-
me important. ,

‘e suggested that CLC courses, which the
local paeibeen. able to get into some schools,
teach about jobs and unions and that the I.W.A.
could use a similar strategy to take an active
role to educate kids about the forest industry
and jobs. .

Local 1-425’s Ron Haggard said that the B.C.

ernment should also spend some tourist dol-
i to promote the benefits of the forest indus-

“We need more espe to see that wood is a

very viable resource, better than steel. Steel’s
pee maior campaign on right now teaching the
F its of it.”

“We need more education to the people on our
. It’s a natural resource. It’s renewable.

dn’t be up to just the
nue to fight battle after battle on the
nce of our jobs and the products that we
e. “It’s very timely that the government.
s getting involved a promote the products

r country as well.”

e The NDP’s Jim Doyle said that government is working hard to complete LRMP processes.

Changes coming in the industry
says former BC forest minister

B.C. Minister of Forests Jim Doyle, replaced
since the convention by new minister Gordon
Wilson, told the delegates that the government
is going to work with the union and industry to
open up new markets.

“As you know, the Asian buyers now want
more kiln-dried hemlock, so we’ve lost market
share to producers that can meet that demand,”
he said. “This government knows the impor-
tance of this issue to British Columbia’s coastal
communities and to you and your families.”

On logging in the Elaho valley, Doyle said
that a large area of the Squamish Forest Dis-
trict has already been set aside at protected
area strategy fabled and that workers and their
emplcyers have the legal right to log in peace.

“Td also like to say we live in a law-abidin;
society in our great country that we have an
our province, and I don’t care whether some-
body’s 27 or 72, if they break the law, they have
to pay the piper,” pedi Doyle.

e said the government is looking at fixing
the current stumpage system. It is considerin;
a market-based pricing regime and Doyle sai
“we will be responding to you in the very, very
near future.”

Doyle said NewForest Opportunities Ltd.’s is
an example of what can happen if the govern-
ment and union work together.

“It’s ensured that workers get fair wages and
benefits and that new bids weren't made at the
expense of working men and women across the
province. It has been good for you and good for
the province and it has not caused any signifi-
cant increase in the cost of doing silviculture...At
the same time, our opposition in the legislature
has fought this every inch of the way because
they patiede that a man or women should be
getting minimum wage or less for doing this
work. You don’t agree with that. We don’t agree
with that.”

Doyle said the government is doing its best to
romote B.C. wood products. Earlier in the year
‘ormer Forests Minister Dave Zirnhelt was

joined by I.W.A. CANADA president Dave Hag-
fare and others in going to the U.S., Japan and

hina to promote the forest industry and tell
customers that wood is being harvested in an

environmentally friendly, sustainable way.

He said staff from the Ministry of Forests are
helping Canadian embassies counter misinfor-
mation about B.C. forest products.

“But despite all of this, our markets are in
jeopardy: ome of our customers, like Home

epot, are changing their buying policies. They
have not had a significant market impact yet,
but it is going to happen sooner or later,” said
the speaker.

Doyle said that “we have to reduce conflict.”

“Our customers don’t like conflict, and if they
see conflicts around British Columbia issues,
they’ll be inclined to avoid B.C. products,” he
said.

One major way to do that is to complete the
land-use decisions under the LRMP process.

He said that 80% of land-use processes, many
of which the I.W.A. has played a key role in,
have come to conclusions and that “we are doin;
all we can to complete the process on the mid-
coast by next March 31.”

“You are asking for certainty. Everybody
wants certainty. So it’s March of next year.”

He said that forest companies and environ-
mental groups are free to talk all they want, but
deseionS GEM will be made at the LEMP

able.

He said that the industry, in order to retain
and open new markets, must fully implement
the Forest Practices Code.

Doyle criticized the Council of Forest Indus-
tries’ president Ron MacDonald who called the
codes wildlife protection measures as “cata-
strophic.”

e said that the province has to work with
industry to protect wildlife and hold down costs
as well.

Doyle also said that First Nations treaties
have to be settled and that native people have
to be more involved in the forest industry, as
some companies have already extended them-
selves.

“Tt is only by including First Nations that we
will stand united, that they will stand united
with us and tell British Columbia’s customers
that our products are harvested responsibly,
and we know they are.”

Gary Kobayashi of Local 2171 said that it is
ironic that forést corporations like Sauder,
Weldwood and Canfor sponsor rooms at the
Simon Fraser University, yet are not taking
steps of trying to get forest education programs
into school curriculums.

“I think that shows that one of the failings of
this industry, quite frankly, is that they don’t
put a lot of resources into promoting their own
industry,” he said.

While the industry is pouring money into cut-
ting deals with environmentalists over logging in
certain areas of the province, Kobayashi said that

they don’t put enough into educating the public.

Grazio Odorisio of Local 1-3567 said that last
year his nine year-old son came home from
school and asked him “how come people kill
trees.”

“That’s what the teachers were teaching him
at school.” he added. “During dinner I thought
about it and explained to him where his food
came from and what I did in the mills and I
sweat at work to make an honest living...they
(the teachers) shouldn’t be teaching him things
like that and making me feel bad about what I
do for a living.”

LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 2000/33