It seems that the lumber companies, Canfor in particular, are holding the township of Mackenzie for ransom while they try to extort a payment from the B.C. government in the form of lower stumpage rates. Any place else, it would be criminal activity. In commerce, it seems to be business as usual.
The B.C. government must not give in. It is well known that success in ransom taking encourages more of the same. Rather, the issuing of licenses to cut timber must be tightened up to discourage this kind of bad behaviour. In particularly, licenses should be issues on conditions that logs be milled at the nearest available plant to where they were cut and the cutting be completed within a specified time.
Ross Pearce
Prince George
