B.C.’s provincial government brags a lot about how it’s creating jobs and supporting rural communities, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Regional District of North Okanagan officials are upset with a long-standing government policy that allows logs harvested in an area to be shipped away for processing instead of being handled in their community of origin.
“Since they took that away, the wood is spread across the country and we lost jobs,” said Hank Cameron, Cherryville director.
In a recent case, timber was chopped down in the hills above Cherryville but then hauled over to the Kootenays for processing.
“None of our local people got any benefits,” said Cameron.
At one time, small and medium-sized mills dotted the Interior, including the North Okanagan. They provided jobs and created sustainable communities.
However, the landscape is dramatically different these days and many communities struggle economically once their primary employer disappears.
Mike Macnabb, BX-Silver Star director, puts the blame directly on the Ministry of Forests.
“Their policies are killing rural areas,” he said.
We would urge Victoria to review its policies and consider linking, once again, the harvesting of timber with processing.
It would not only be an investment in families and communities, but a long-term benefit for the province as a whole.