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Issue No.5 · December 2005 | |
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 ECONOMIC PICTURE (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1) “The
aid proves that the federal government has been listening to our concerns
and has responded by providing a plan that can assist the coastal industry
in making real progress toward increased productivity and competitiveness,” says
Coast Forest’s Rick Jeffery.
Over five years, new Government of Canada funding support will include commercial-scale forest products research and development efforts for Canada’s pulp and paper, solid wood and value added sectors, funding to continue Canada’s expansion into foreign markets, support to address skills needs within the forest sector, and assistance for community economic diversification. In addition, the package includes funding to support insured loans, providing short-term financial assistance to the forest industry pending the resolution of the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S., as well as conditionally repayable contributions for smaller firms not eligible for the loan insurance program. The coastal industry was clear in its request to secure funding for worker and community transition as the coastal industry renews itself over the next five years. “Some mills will be closed and others will be built, and the community adjustment funding will support workers and communities through this transition,” adds Jeffery. “This is good news for the industry and it is also beneficial to the 32,000 British Columbians and coastal communities that rely on the forest sector.”Coast Forest will continue to work cooperatively with the Forest Products Association of Canada to support and inform the development of these programs. PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATIONWorking
in partnership with other industry associations is
an effective way to expand the visibility, reach and cost-effectiveness
of lumber promotion
programs at home and abroad. During 2005, the Canada
Wood Group (CWG), a partnership between Canadian industry associations,
made substantial
progress in bringing a unified Canadian “brand” to market
development activities.
Across a wide variety of programs, teamwork and collaboration is increasingly evident. In China, association representatives working together from the Dream Home Canada (DHC) demonstration centre emphasize shared delivery of seminars, training programs, trade shows and other customer events. In October, landscape seminars were delivered in Nanjing, Qingdao and Beijing, providing the opportunity to promote western red cedar, treated hemlock and other Canadian species, and to inform Chinese customers of the services available through the CWG in China. A “Canada Wood Week” event will take place in the DHC facility from December 16 – 18, 2005. In Canada, partnership efforts between the Forest Products Association of Canada and Coast Forest helped to ensure symmetry in new funding requests made to the federal government. On the same theme, the 2010 Coalition has brought organizations such as the Canadian Wood Council, Forintek Canada Corp., industry associations and forest company representatives together, providing a unified, service-focused approach to increasing wood use in structures built for the 2010 Olympic Games. In 2006, the CWG will assume responsibility for addressing foreign market access and technical issues on behalf of its member associations. MARKET OUTREACHComplementing
efforts to grow market share and visibility with
major customers around the globe, Forestry Innovation Investment (FII)
has turned a portion of
its attention to a smaller but no less significant
effort: relief housing in Indonesia.
With a need for more than 100,000 replacement homes to take the place of those destroyed in the December 2004 tsunami, FII is in the process of constructing 10 demonstration homes near Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Offering a durable alternative to steel, brick, concrete and other housing options available to international relief agencies working in Indonesia, FII’s efforts will demonstrate the safety, ease of construction and cost-effectiveness of prefabricated wood housing. |
 FOREST STEWARDSHIP PLANS It’s
a daunting task to have the entire coast operating
under approved FSPs by December 2006. To date, there are three approved
FSPs on the coast
with a number of others in various stages of preparation
for submission. “It is incumbent upon industry to work collaboratively with government to facilitate the FSP approvals in a timely fashion,” says Bob Craven, Interfor’s Manager of Forestry Operations. “In the interest of forest workers, companies and communities we must drive this process forward. There is a collective need and a sincere willingness for all parties to focus on results and to give professional reliance a chance to work.” Despite the switch from a prescriptive regime to a results world, the coast will maintain a high level of forest stewardship. Coastal operators will continue to demonstrate to B.C. and to customers globally that where it matters – “on the ground” - their forests are responsibly managed to the highest standards. BILL
28 Improving
the economic performance
of the coastal forest industry is one of the biggest challenges
facing the industry as 2006 approaches.
The Coast Recovery Group,
made up of Coast Forest’s senior
policy advisory group
and the MOFR team, led by Cindy Stern, is working on a short-term
plan that builds on the foundation laid
by the Forestry Revitalization
Plan. The strategy applies market based principles and reduces
unnecessary regulatory costs to improve
economic performance.
The Coast Recovery Group has completed a series of discussion papers focusing on the critical issues facing the coast which will be used to brief the Minister of Forests and Range in early January. Coast Forest’s President Rick Jeffery has been engaging coastal MLAs and key Cabinet Ministers in discussions in support of the Coast Recovery Group’s initiatives with a focus on improving their understanding of the key issues. Clearly, there are a number of major challenges that remain to be addressed to revitalize the coastal forest sector with priorities focused on the pulp log crisis, the softwood lumber dispute, opportunities to reduce delivered log cost, successful implementation of FRPA (Forest and Range Practices Act) and expansion of market opportunities to name a few. Early in 2006 there is a collective need for all parties to implement the right solutions in order to once and for all unhook the IV bottle and show what the coast can really do. The past year has been a challenging one and there is no doubt heading into 2006 that there will be further changes and additional challenges for the coastal forest sector to adapt to. I am confident we will succeed. Have a very Merry Christmas, enjoy time with your families and all the best in the New Year! |
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  Keith Rush joined Coast Forest this fall on a part-time basis as Safety Coordinator, bringing to the association an intimate knowledge of the coastal forest industry and the challenges it faces. SAFETY First, the level of discussion and debate has been elevated and is more public than ever before and we have better, timelier information on serious injuries and fatalities. Second, we have a permanent body dedicated to safety, the B.C. Forest Safety Council, with a clear mandate to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries in the sector. Third, we have a detailed plan, set out by the Forest Safety Task Force. Will we succeed this time? We should and we must.
There is much to do, but in my view, the key is industry leadership. As a coastal group we need to get out in front of this issue and demonstrate that this is our issue and that we are going to solve it. The large companies need to take the lead on this with the full involvement of their contractors. Through the B.C. Forest Safety Council we have the vehicle to make this happen: the Qualified Companies Initiative. Qualified Companies is basically a ‘safety certification system’ where companies – large and small - demonstrate through external and internal audits that they have the kinds of policies and programs in place that will ensure worker and worksite safety. One of the criteria to become a qualified company is management programs and policies, which include adoption of the Forest Safety Task Force Health and Safety Accord and its three key beliefs. These beliefs are extremely powerful in dealing with day-to-day safety issues on the ground and in demonstrating our seriousness to fundamentally change how we manage safety. They are:
2006 will see this key Initiative piloted on the coast and in the Interior. And Coast Forest will continue to work with the B.C. Forest Safety Council and the TLA to develop a safety initiative specifically for the coast. In the coming year, safety will be our greatest challenge and reduced incidents our greatest reward. CERTIFICATION TRAININGTraining Dates for supervisors, with special emphasis on bullbuckers, will be held in Campbell River in the New Year.
Place: North Island College in Campbell River In
November Western Forest Products announced its
acquisition of Cascadia Forest Products. “For Western, this is
the key step in our strategy of becoming a low-cost, margin-focused lumber
producer with rights to
high quality Crown timberlands,” says Reynold Hert, President and
CEO of Western. |
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