Dear Editor:
The present-day residents of the North Shore are a long way from our heritage of a formative lumber industry providing vital jobs for our pioneers. The Moodyville mill workers who processed trees would consider it a shame to witness our practice of increasing the shipment of raw logs overseas by companies with government policy oversight.
The Liberal government has clear cut a path to a record export of logs since 2013, with sales of 26 million cubic metres of wood with a value of $3 billion as detailed in a recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. This report conservatively estimates that the value of exported timber results in a loss of 3,600 lumber processing and value-added jobs. Another aspect of this issue to consider is that the prize target of Asian countries under the terms of the proposed TPP would have been unrestricted exportation of Canadian logs.
The Ministry of Forest reports that the export of raw logs involves seven per cent of the timber harvested in the province. However, this figure masks the trend of an increased percentage of logs exported from old growth forests off Crown lands versus private timber lots. It is the prime old-growth logs that fetch the highest price from foreign buyers.
The export companies don’t process these old-growth trees except for debarking the logs prior to shipping so that more will fit into the ships heading for foreign mills. The insufficient investment in coastal mills by companies and government has reduced the capacity of our mills to handle the large logs, providing industry players a lobby to push for increased export of logs.
The B.C. Liberal party receives generous political contributions from companies engaged in the export of logs. A firm stance of support for lumber workers processing the timber through government policy and investment will produce a greater number of jobs.
The reality is that overseas buyers want our high-quality timber. They would buy the fine lumber and value-added wood products that our workers produce in B.C. mills. The government can do a better job for workers, families and communities by implementing the following policies:
Ban all exports of logs from old-growth forests, place higher taxes on log exports from second-growth forests, and expand policies to increase value-added forestry manufacturing jobs in B.C. communities.
Bill Barrie
West Vancouver
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