Critics call for expanded community forests, cutting costs for industry
B.C.’s new forests minister says he intends to be “bold” in finding solutions for the beleaguered forest industry, as it faces enormous current challenges and the threat of more devastating tariffs to come.
Ravi Parmar said he’s familiar with the file, both as the MLA for the Vancouver Island riding that saw the Fairy Creek old growth protests, and as a former political staffer to previous ministers of forests.
“It’s why I asked the premier to give me this portfolio,” he said. “As I was having the conversation with myself about how I would make that pitch to the premier, it certainly dawned on me that this is a challenging file.”
Parmar’s first trip after his swearing in earlier this month was to the north, where he met with mayors and workers from Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, Mackenzie, Prince George and other communities in which forestry is a key economic driver.
The region has been hard hit by mill closures over the last couple of years, most recently Canfor announcing the closure of the Plateau mill in Vanderhoof.
“We are devastated by the decline in our province’s foundational forest industry,” Canfor president Don Kayne said when announcing the closure, citing “increasing regulatory complexity, high operating costs and the inability to reliably access economically viable timber.”
These remain the major issues cited by forest companies in mill closures and layoffs totalling thousands of workers, alongside the American tariffs levied under the ongoing softwood lumber dispute. President-elect Donald Trump raised the prospect of economic pain for forestry even further last week when he proposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports.
It’s time to ‘be bold,’ says minister
Parmar said with the global climate and current situation, he’s getting an earful from the industry.
“If there’s one thing I took from those conversations, but also the conversations with workers, is be bold,” said Parma
“Now is the time to not sit idly by, now is the time to be bold. So a clear focus for me as I now undertake this work… is you are not going to see a bunch of frameworks and vision statements and grandiose plans, I think we’ve done all of that work, and am very thankful to my colleagues for getting us to this place.
“You are not going to see a bunch of frameworks and vision statements and grandiose plans.”
Ravi Parmar
“For me it’s now focusing on those clear objectives on what we need to accomplish to have a robust sustainable industry for next decades.”
The question though is how Parmar plans to tackle the major crises battering the forest sector, including the fibre supply shortage, dispute over old growth preservation, investment uncertainty, complex Indigenous reconciliation impacts, and the American tariffs levied under the ongoing softwood lumber dispute.
Government directives restrict access to fibre: Rustad
“First thing they should do is get their head out of the sand,” said Opposition B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad. “What they have done with old growth deferrals is destroy the mid-term timber supply for the Interior of B.C.”
The government in 2021 began deferring logging in defined old growth areas for two-year terms, many of which are now coming up for renewal. But the definition of old growth includes some forests that aren’t, said Rustad, and comes with consequences of tying up both those trees and surrounding forests.
“First thing they should do is get their head out of the sand.”
John Rustad
“Not only has it taken that wood off the market and not made it available, but because there’s additional wood behind it they can’t access it because they can’t get through it,” he said. “So it has significantly reduced the amount of fibre you can go after.”
Minister won’t alter course on NDP policies
Parmar said the government’s approach won’t change on old growth.
“It’s very important for me to be clear that the old growth strategic review and recommendations is now my job… to honour those commitments and fulfill those recommendations,” he said.
Part of that work has included forest landscape planning tables, where Indigenous nations, forest companies, and community leaders sit down to define the future of forestry in parts of the province. Premier David Eby has said they will provide eventual certainty over what trees can be logged in the long-term to help increase investor confidence and fibre supply. But the tables have taken a long time to conclude.
“The forest landscape plans and tables I think is the best way to address those challenges and make sure we have certainty,” said Parmar.
“There are some, 13 or so, that have been set up that are having some really productive conversations. I’m of the mind that hopefully we are weeks or months away from cooperative deals.”
Despite Parmar’s claim of bold action, were he to keep the landscape planning tables, old growth deferrals and overall NDP strategy for forestry in place — not much would appear to be changing in the sector.
Mayors urge province to expand community forests
Forest communities across the northern and central regions of the province have called on the government to start a structured tenure redistribution, expedite the expansion of community forests, and work with local and Indigenous governments to implement wildfire mitigation strategies.
“We have forestry companies calling tenure their assets, while the Government of B.C. calls our forests the asset of all British Columbians,” Houston Mayor Shane Brienen said in a statement on behalf of the “Local Logs, Local Jobs” group.
“It’s time for this to be defined, and for municipalities and first nations to be empowered to manage the forests that we all live, work and can once again thrive in.”
“It’s time for… municipalities and first nations to be empowered to manage the forests.”
Shane Brienen
The BC NDP election platform had some forestry items, including “working towards a harvest of 45 million cubic metres per year,” reviewing the stumpage system, and improving the permitting process.
Conservatives urge 30 per cent cost cut for industry
The BC Conservatives had an ambitious undertaking promised for the sector, including defining land for logging versus biodiversity, replacing the stumpage system with a value-added tax, streamlining permitting and reviewing regulatory factors affecting sector competitiveness.
“The other thing the minster needs to do is a major cost review, all the little pieces that they have added, add up to us being by far the highest cost justification in North America,” Rustad said.
“Go through every single thing that is a cost to the forest industry and look to take 30 per cent of the cost out.”
Parmar said he’ll have more to say “over the next few weeks” on new initiatives to get more wood fibre to mills, and ensure the fibre that is available is best used in the most effective way.
In the meantime, he said he’ll be a repeat visitor to northern B.C.
“They’ve had a really tough go of things,” said Parmar. “I wanted them to know the B.C. legislature is not the centre of the universe and they are going to get sick and tired of seeing me in their communities.”