VICTORIA — The John Horgan government’s recent and proposed changes in forest policy are generating uncertainty in the industry and discouraging investment, says the head of one of B.C.’s largest forest companies.
Moreover those changes were being undertaken after no consultation with West Fraser or the other major players in the B.C. industry. A key change would give the government a veto over transfers of timber cutting rights of the kind that happened five years ago between West Fraser and rival Canfor. “And there are a lot of uncertainties about what it would take to get a transaction approved. But I think bottom line … it puts the whole B.C. industry on pause right now.”
“So in all honesty, it’s a bit hard to determine what the worst case is. But the big issue here is when industry and communities aren’t consulted, it just really erodes our confidence.” West Fraser’s Chetwynd based general manager Roger Roy is already on record as estimating that the reduction in timber supply would mean the closure of one mill with a loss of 500 jobs.
We’re WAY past that!
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