Provincial Liberal leadership candidate George Abbott has announced a series of new measures he would take, if elected premier, to support B.C.’s forestry industry and workers.
“Forestry is a fundamental part of B.C.’s heritage,” he said in a news release. “The industry employs thousands of British Columbians and is the single biggest employer in many of our rural communities.”
As premier, Abbott said he would restore funding to 2009-10 levels for the Forestry Innovation Investment, initiate a review of the BC Timber Sales program and explore opportunities to promote greater stewardship and investment in both Crown and private commercial forest lands.
He also said he’d examine opportunities to further improve access to timber supply in areas such as in the Interior which have been devastated by the mountain pine beetle.
Finally, he said he’d continue to examine measures to encourage the development of B.C.’s value-added wood products and the province’s growing bio-energy sector.
“Our Interior and coastal forest industries are very distinct and both primary and secondary industry operators in those regions face a broad array of challenges,” he said. “Both of those industries must continue to grow and adapt in order to stay competitive in a shifting global market.”
Last week, Abbott called for a review of the process that led to the province picking up the $6 million legal tab of two defendants in the BC Rail trial (see “Leadership candidate seeks review of BC rail settlement” – issue 1109, January 19).