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Most of all we will continue to promote the need
for an ongoing positive business climate as British Columbia's most important
industry turns the corner toward 2005. |
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In 2003 the Council of Forest Industries (COFI) amalgamated with the former interior regional lumber manufacturing associations (CLMA, ILMA, and NFPA) to form the new COFI. Picking up the tradition, COFI will resume holding an annual convention modeled on those of the former NFPA, ILMA & CLMA. The convention will alternate between Prince George and Kelowna beginning with Prince George in 2005. For 2005 convention and accommodation information visit our website: www.cofi.org |
 Jim Snetsinger is B.C.'s new Chief Forester, and the first to be based at the University of Northern British Columbia, Forests Minister Michael de Jong announced on November 2. "By basing the Chief Forester position in Prince George, government is recognizing Prince George's role as a forestry capital," said de Jong. Snetsinger assumed his new role on November 8. He replaces Larry Pedersen who, after 10 years as chief forester, became the assistant deputy minister of B.C. Timber Sales in September. For more information see the Ministry of Forests website: www.gov.bc.ca/for |
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 COFI and the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (WLAP) have enjoyed a solid and productive working relationship in developing the framework for managing wildlife in BC. This relationship reached a new level of cooperation when WLAP offered COFI financial support to enable us to retain the services of professional biologists to help us with this ongoing work. COFI has now contracted the services of three professional biologists to assist members in developing operational plans that will be consistent with wildlife management needs and objectives in BC's interior forests. Dennis Hamilton with Nanuq Consulting Limited in Nelson, Greg Ashcroft with G. Ashcroft Consulting in Williams Lake and Scott McNay with Wildlife Infometrics Incorporated in Mackenzie have been retained until March 2005. These three well respected wildlife biologists are a great addition to the COFI team and we look forward to working with them. Their combined work will be a huge assistance to both government and COFI members in managing wildlife, and in particular species at risk, in the interior forests of BC. Working with WLAP staff and existing staff biologists in member companies, the work of these three biologists will include providing members a better understanding and application of the wildlife management under the Forest and Range Practices Act, the revised Wildlife Act, the revised Land Act and any other applicable provincial legislation. The combined services of all of these professionals will also assist members in understanding the provincial and federal recovery strategy process, the action plan process, and linkages to the federal Species at Risk Act as it relates to provincial activities and laws. For more information contact Peter Affleck by e-mail: affleck@cofi.org or by phone: 604-891-1212. |
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 Tembec has announced that it will modernize its Elko, British Columbia, sawmill in 2004 and 2005. The project will include the upgrading of both primary saw lines, as well as the secondary processing equipment. The project will require approximately 14 months and create about 25 person-years of employment during construction. |
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The Council of Forest Industries was in attendance with a display booth in support of the event. Mayor Steve Thorlakson spoke about the new and exciting Slocan-LP Corp's Fort St. John OSB plant being the "largest in the world". Minister of Energy and Mines, Richard Neufeld, and Fort St. John municipal councilor, Karen Simpson, also addressed the crowd. "We'd like to thank COFI and Slocan-LP for being here today" said councilor Simpson. For more information contact Steve Kozuki, COFI Northern Operations, by e-mail: kozuki@cofi.org or by phone: (250) 564-5136. |
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This year the Bulkley Valley - Lakes District dinner featured West Fraser CEO, Hank Ketcham speaking about the current trend of consolidation in BC's forest industry as a consequence of the need to stay competitive in an increasingly global forest products business environment. Burns Lake acting Mayor Susan Schienbein welcomed Hank and guests to the Village and noted the value of the dinners for both industry and communities. Over 80 guests from Kitimat to Vanderhoof received the presentation and then probed Mr. Ketcham's views on a range of topics from the effect of the province's recent forest policy changes to the challenges ahead due to beetles, the ongoing softwood dispute and the increasingly global forest products markets. The lively discussion reflected area residents' keen interest in understanding the external forces being exerted on the resource and on the industry in order that they may take local proactive measures to maintain community and economic stability into the future. For more information contact: Doug Routledge, Vice President, Northern Operations by email: routledge@cofi.org or by phone: (250) 564-5136 |
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On November 4th, 2004 the creation of the new BC
Forest Safety Council (the Council) was announced simultaneously in Prince
George and Nanaimo.
The interim senior officers of the Council are:
Chair Jim Shepherd, Chief Executive Officer of Canfor; Vice Chair Keith
Playfair, independent contract faller; and Secretary Treasurer Ron Corbeil
of the Steelworkers - IWA Council. |
The Extraordinary Challenge will be filed the week of November 22, 2004 with a completion date of March 2005 at the earliest. 2. AD/CVD Duties Cash deposits now sit at approximately C$3.8 billion. Final rates for the first Administrative Review period will be published December 13, 2004 and will set a new cash deposit rate going forward. For more information please see the following websites: BC Lumber Trade Council: www.bclumbertrade.com Government of Canada: www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/eicb/softwood/menu-en.asp Government of BC: www.for.gov.bc.ca/HET/softwood |
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 For some high school students spending two days visiting sawmills and pulp mills may not seem like a lot of fun, but for Grade 12 student Scott Dowler and 39 other Grade 10 to 12 students from Mackenzie Secondary School in Mackenzie, BC it was an awesome learning experience. Selected from 103 student applicants, Scott and his classmates were the first students in BC to participate in COFI's Northern Operations new forest education career awareness program Project Manufacturing. Divided into two groups, one focussing on the trades and the other on professional/managerial professions, the students, together with their teachers, were given in-depth first-hand exposure to a variety of careers. While the trades students learn about careers such as saw filer, millwright, electrician, pipe fitter, carpenter, planerman, heavy duty mechanic, parts person, purchaser, quality control, instrument technician, lab technician and steam engineer, the professional/managerial students, including Scott Dowler, learn about careers such as administrative assistant, foresters, biologists, GIS/mapping specialists, human resources, continuous improvement, accounting, engineering, IT and management and supervisory. This industry/education partnership program brought together professionals and trades people from Abitibi Consolidated Company Ltd., Canfor, Finning, Wildlife Infometrics and the Ministry of Forests in Mackenzie to host the various trades and professional /managerial sessions. The value of this program, like our Project Natural Resource Management, is that these keen students were learning about careers in the forest industry from professionals who truly enjoy their jobs and who want to share their knowledge and experience with the students. At the end of the program the students came away energized, inspired and with a broader understanding of careers available in the forest industry. And for Scott Dowler who now wants to become an engineer, the program "was an awesome experience and really helps you decide what careers you would be interested in. Everyone should get a chance to experience this!" For more information contact: Chris Lear by e-mail: lear@cofi.org or by phone: (250) 564-5136.
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