BC United leader Kevin Falcon said Tuesday that if his party is elected this fall he will make changes to B.C.’s forestry sector that he says will create jobs, reduce bureaucracy and restore the province’s reputation as a leader in forestry.
This would mean moving the forest ministry's head office to Prince George, with Falcon calling it a way to better ensure employees of forestry-dependent communities would have more of a say in decisions the government makes.
And he would rename "Crown land" to "public land," he said, a move that would involve working with First Nations and carrying out revenue sharing reforms.
“The NDP have failed the forestry sector and the families that depend on it by creating confusion, increasing bureaucracy, and driving investment out of B.C. and our local communities,” said Mike Bernier, BC United MLA for Peace River South. “BC United’s plan will restore confidence in our forestry sector by cutting red tape, restoring industry/community confidence, and ensuring our forests are managed sustainably for future generations.”
Under the plan, a BC United government would address job losses and mill closures “by expediting timber access decisions, eliminating confusion over fibre access, and investing in forest land to ensure a stable, sustainable timber supply," according to the press release.
Falcon said the permitting process is too slow because logging companies are forced to predict the impact of their harvesting operations across a wide spectrum due to regulations imposed by the province.
“We will reduce red tape and cut bureaucracy, adopt outcome-based performance measures, and eliminate regulatory duplication,” said Falcon. “We will also ensure faster permitting, reform BC Timber Sales, adjust stumpage rates to a monthly system, and stabilize policies to give businesses the certainty they need to thrive.”
A BC United government would adopt a wood-first policy for public building projects, with incentives, Falcon said. He also promised more investment in forestry research.
Falcon said the province’s resource tax revenues plummeted $3 billion last year “due to David Eby’s hostility toward resource development.”
