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Shift in thinking needed: Coleman |
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Written by SCOTT STANFIELD
Citizen staff
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Saturday, 03 May 2008 |
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VANCOUVER ISLANDCIVIC CENTRE
Premier Gordon Campbell announced the roundtable this year as an exhaustive review of industry to fast-track survival strategies.
"The reason for the roundtable is, frankly, to get people thinking about the future. We want them to start thinking about what's next," said Coleman, who visited five communities before stopping in Prince George.
The feedback he received Saturday was slightly different from what he heard in Kamloops, Cranbrook and Vancouver Island. Prince George groups, for interest, expressed a greater desire for government to be more aggressive on the bioenergy front. There was, however, less comment on tenure reform, which Coleman feels is possibly due to a longer-standing relationship and understanding with First Nations.
"Tenure reform is not as easy as some think it is," said Coleman, who denies the critics who suggest the roundtable sessions are nothing more than "window dressing." On the contrary, he said, noting aggressive policy and regulatory reform processes that government initiated in January.
"We had 525 recommendations come in with regards to different policy, regulatory reform, things to streamline the relationship of government with industry."
Coleman admitted the roundtable cannot properly address unemployment within the forest sector. This issue, he said, will be addressed by way of a $129 million community development trust, a bridging-through-retirement program, tuitions for training upgrades, and additional money for job creation and other initiatives.
"There's no way we're moving away from the forest industry, I can tell you that," Coleman said. "I think we may have to shift our thinking a little bit, and that goes right down to the thinking of the chief forester, for instance. The chief foresters, they identify the annual allowable cut based on saw logs. The reality is is that annual allowable cut could maybe be sustainable at a higher level, or even at the level we have even with the beetle downfall, if you had a parallel industry. Pellets, bioenergy, the logs still have to be cut, they still have to be brought to town, they still have to be turned into product. If you continue to cut the same allowable cut, you can pick up enough green timber to be able to still run your sawmills.
"The shift will have to come over time that we can't rely on one market," he added. "We've been saying that for generations. When the U.S. market hiccups, our industry really hurts."
Coleman said government is investing aggressively in forest innovations in international markets, especially in Asia, though this process takes time. Being a constant supplier and adjusting to different markets, he said, are critical in the building process.
The roundtable also met in Quesnel Saturday. Further sessions are planned in the north this month and next.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 03 May 2008 )
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But I don't believe one thing that dribbles out of their mouths