Serious concerns raised for Northern BC if old growth deferrals passed by Province

“While we are still digesting the details, our initial analysis indicates that these deferrals would result in the closure of between 14 and 20 sawmills in BC, along with two pulp mills and an undetermined number of value-added manufacturing facilities,” says Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of COFI.

Yurkovich also raised concerns around the advisory panel that recommended the extensive protections, saying four of five of whom have ties to environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and West Coast Environmental Law.

Even though the deferrals are temporary, the impacts could be long

“We kept people working safely and continued to deliver more than $4 billion in revenues to the government over the last year which has helped put our province in a financial position better than most. Now the key industry that has and can continue to contribute to our resilience is being devastated,” says Yurkovich.

Map distributed by BC Ministry of Forests

BC Liberal Party Interim Leader Shirley Bond, and Prince George-Valemount MLA weighed in on Thursday as well, calling the move by the government concerning for so many families and workers.

“We are going to be asking some very hard questions,” says Bond. “There is very little socio-economic analysis done.. our most important task over the next few months is to protect the rights of workers.”

Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris also raised serious concerns Wednesday for people in his riding and especially rural communities in Northern BC.

“I truly believe there is a balance out there of biodiversity management and the forest sector, we just have to find it,” says Morris.

Several BC First Nations shared their concerns about the province’s plan as well on Thursday.

by Caden Fanshaw

Serious concerns raised for Northern BC if old growth deferrals passed by Province

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