Amid hunger strikes and protests, BC forestry industry meets to map its future


“We need to have a reasonable expectation that there’s going to be access to fiber to (supply BC) mills,” said Susan Yurkovich, CEO, Council of Forest Industries

Article content

British Columbia’s forest industry will make a diplomatic push for government to bring stability to a sector under pressure from substantial change when it gathers for its first major convention since 2019 in Vancouver this week.

advertisement 2

Article content

“I think we all want investment, but we have to have some predictability,” said Susan Yurkovich, CEO of the Council of Forest Industries (COFI), the organization that represents the major lumber producers.

It is an ask being made, however, at the same time the province is making big changes to forest policy and being pushed to take stronger action on protecting old growth forests by the frequent protests by the group Save Old Growth that has been blocking the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge.

“Not certainty, because everything in life is uncertain,” Yurkovich added, “but we need to have a reasonable expectation that there’s going to be access fiber to (supply BC) mills because you’re not going to invest a whole bunch of money if you can’t access fiber.”

advertisement 3

Article content

And the province, in its most recent budget, estimated that BC’s timber harvest will have to shrink by 12 per cent this year under the weight of old-growth logging deferrals, losses from forest fires and continuing hangover from the mountain pine beetle infestation.

Susan Yurkovich, CEO of the Council of Forest Industries, addressing questions on stage during her presentation to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Friday, Nov. 22, 2019.
Susan Yurkovich, CEO of the Council of Forest Industries, addressing questions on stage during her presentation to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Friday, Nov. 22, 2019. Photo by Derrick Penner /PNG

COFI will host 700 delegates, from major forest companies to First Nations and industry suppliers, to deliver that message at the downtown Parq Vancouver hotel and casino Thursday and Friday.

And Premier John Horgan showed signs his government isn’t wavering from its version of modernizing forest policy, which has government squeezed between conservation activists and industry.

“We’re dealing with First Nations’ rights, entitlements,” Horgan told Postmedia. “We’re dealing with workers, with businesses, with communities. That’s how you solve deep problems.

advertisement 4

Article content

“You don’t solve them by hunger striking, you don’t solve them by terrorizing women,” said Horgan referring to Forests Minister Katrine Conroy, who was assaulted when leaving her office last December and recently was subjected to threats of a “citizen’s arrest on social media.”

Conroy and Horgan are scheduled to deliver keynote speeches to the COFI convention: the Minister of Forests to open the event Thursday and the premier at high-profile lunch event Friday.

Horgan, on Tuesday, said he is “proud of her as a rural woman,” who continues to serve as minister despite the December assault.

“She is working on the most challenging file we have and she’s doing a spectacular job,” Horgan said.

Conroy, meanwhile, is scheduled to make an announcement Wednesday with Minister of Indigenous Relations Murray Rankin on First Nations forestry alongside First Nations’ representatives.

advertisement 5

Article content

And the shift of provincial forest policy to include First Nations and Indigenous knowledge in forest management may be a bigger change to the industry than old-growth logging deferrals, according to UBC Forestry professor John Innes.

“That’s actually really interesting,” said Innes, former dean and Forest Renewal BC chair in forest management.

The changes, which promise to prioritize ecosystem health over timber production in forest management, is in keeping with the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, Innes said, and a sea change for the industry.

“What we have seen in British Columbia is a progressive reduction in the amount of timber available for harvesting,” said Innes, while major companies such as Canfor Corp., West Fraser Timber Co. and Interfor have made major investments outside the province.

advertisement 6

Article content

In BC, “we’re seeing more and more companies either working very closely with First Nations, or even selling parts of their business to them,” Innes added, which is a positive result from policy changes.

“We may well see changes in the way those First Nations companies market the timber and who they might sell it to,” Innes said.

[email protected]

derrickpenner/twitter.com

With files from Katie DeRosa, Postmedia

advertisement 1

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user follows comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your e-mail settings.



Leave a Comment