Dee I
Forest Renewal B.C. under program review

At the time of writing, all Forest
Renewal B.C. programs are under
review.

“We are honoring our commitment
to review Forest Renewal B.C. to
make sure forest workers, industry
and communities are receiving the
services they need and pay for, our
New Era document says we will
either fix or scrap FRBC,” said
Minister of Forests Michael de Jong.
The review is to be completed by
September 30, 2001.

In early July FRBC Chair Roger
Stanyer was severed, Deputy Forest
Minister Don Wright took over as
CEO, and the Board of Directors
were dismissed.

In November of last year the
LW.A., along with representatives
from First Nations and silviculture
contractors, met with then-forest
critic George Abbott about issues of
concern for the silviculture industry.
Mr. Abbott told the group if he was
to be the next Forest Minister he
would welcome the opportunity to
consult with the group on
silviculture issues. Unfortunately
the current review is not as
consultative.

Judging by the following quote
from the July 18 (open cabinet)
meeting, some decisions appear to

already have been made
unilaterally.

Hon. S. Santori: “... is to terminate
as quickly as possible the New Forest.
Opportunities Ltd. Program which

applies HCL provisions on
viculture and land-based forestry

¢ On the Mission TFL with a spacing crew are Local 1-3567 representatives

Manjit Sidhu and Earl Graham (second

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contracts in coastal B.C.”

The silviculture industr:
historically has been ripe wit
Employment Standards violations
and E.I. fraud. Now the only vehicle
that has addressed these issues,
at least on the coast, appears to
be on the chopping block. With
all contractors bidding on FRBC
work under the same collective
agreement, contractors have had
some assurance they will not lose
out to someone who breaks the law.

Other key FRBC initiatives being
reviewed are the workforce strategy
initiative and the B.C. Incremental
Silviculture Strategy.

The workforce strategy initiative
has identified the looming shortage
of skilled labour for the forest
industry in the near future and is
in the midst of developing, with key
shareholders, an appropriate action
plan.

With the demographics of the
forest industry many skilled
positions will go begging, while
workers without the appropriate
skills will sit at home. It’s paramount
that this initiative is not abandoned,
says I.W.A. nationalpresident Dave
Haggard.

The incremental silviculture
ptnateny lays out a blueprint for
silviculture investments. Over the
past years attempts by government
to develop a provincial strategy was
never completed. Between 1980-
1995, over one-million hectares of
forest were treated with no apparent
strategy in place. The interim

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and fourth from left).

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crew of Nis'ma Native band members is pictured here in the
area at the east end of Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island.

Photo courtesy Ron Corbel

e At ariparian spacing job in the Kelsey Bay are (I. to r.) Rod Dick, Peter
Draker, Local 363 president Sy Pederson, Archie Chikite, and Robbie
Dick.

strategy has forecast a 17 per cent
reduction in harvest levels without
intervention. That decline could
mean the loss of 46,000 direct and
indirect jobs.

Forest Renewal B.C. has been
very instrumental in developing
initiatives that are long overdue.
Will FRBC survive into the future
or will it be replaced by yet another

program that will take several years
to work effectively?

Forest Renewal B.C. needs
another lease on life and a dedicated
budget that can effectively re-invest
back into an industry that gives the
province of B.C. so much.@

-with notes from
Ron Corbeil

og

Photos courtesy Ron Corbeil

¢ Pictured are long time spacers (I. to r.) Rick Young, Darrell Drake and

John Guldager, along with I.W.A. employment coordinator Ron Corbeil.
The workers have seena steady decrease in their work year.

LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER, 2001/31