A Williams Lake forester is urging the business community and local politicians to lobby the provincial government, B.C. Hydro and the B.C. Utilities Commission to make it more affordable for companies to retrieve biomass fuel from the forest. Speaking to the Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce at its regular lunch meeting Thursday, Tsi…

As the provincial government continues to face criticism for a recent update to its natural resources strategy and its decision to allow companies to spray herbicides, one long-time forester says there is an even bigger problem at hand: the lack of a real long-term plan. Forestry is an especially important sector for rural parts of…

A union representing hundreds of workers at Port Hawkesbury Paper says that for the first time there will be a temporarily layoff at the paper mill. It will last one week. “Any time you lay people off it sends a whole bunch of shivers through everybody and, in a small community, people say ‘Oh God, the mill is…

The union representing 600 workers at Tembec’s operations in Temiscaming, Que., will fight announced layoffs taking effect June 20. Roger Gauthier, president of Unifor Local 233, said the cuts do not fall within the provisions of the collective agreement between Unifor and Tembec. “We were told the move was to reduce costs . . ….

“We’re going to have a long dry summer, I mean just look, it’s a fire waiting to happen.” That was how NDP MLA Scott Fraser described what he was seeing as he toured a cut block between Port Alberni and Lake Cowichan Wednesday. It is where massive, valuable logs have been sitting untouched for up to…

Union officials at the Tembec industrial complex are upset with news that 24 positions will be eliminated at the facility along with an addition of five new positions. The news came down in what was supposed to be the first of three days of scheduled meetings between Unifor Local 233 and Tembec management. “Our meeting…

Some P.E.I. forestry workers are learning how to safety get in and out of a moving helicopter — a skill they’ll need if they’re eventually deployed to help fight wildfires in Fort McMurray or other fires in remote areas. Ken Mayhew, the information officer with the Forests, Fish and Wildlife division of the provincial government,…

Sept. 18, 2006, is a day Mark Johnson will never forget. It was the day an attempt to save two minutes of time at work led to the loss of use of his left arm. Johnson was one of many workers across the province recognized during Day of Mourning ceremonies on Thursday. The annual Day…

A long-time forester is lamenting the lack of properly fitted industrial wear available for women, something she says can put women’s safety at risk while out in the field. Catherine Brady, 33, has worked in forestry for the past decade and often works on Vancouver Island. In that time, she’s seen an increase in the number of women…

Merritt’s Tolko lumber mill isn’t expecting to have to make any more job cuts due to a lower allowable annual cut (AAC) now in effect for the Merritt Timber Supply Area. Last November, Tolko laid off 29 full-time employees and curtailed their small log production in response to expected reductions to the annual allowable cut….