In Kelowna, the group spent a full day learning lumber grading theory, followed by a practical day at Tolko's Riverside Division, to give them an introduction to species differentiation and quality characteristics for lumber grading in BC and Canada. "They were great learners, very enthusiastic, and at the end were pretty quick" commented COFI's Quality Control Manager, Gary Desrosier. The delegation also toured nearby Gorman Bros. and Weyerhaeuser operations.

In Prince George, the tour focused on forest management activities as well as manufacturing operations. Canfor's Kristy Hillen organized tours of an active cut-to-length harvesting operation, silviculture sites, and forest management and planning stops with a special emphasis on the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic. Canfor manufacturing facilities, PG Sawmills and North Central Plywood were visited, as well as a tree nursery. "The level of technology used and the production achieved by the harvesting is amazing" exclaimed Daryl Birtch.

Also on the Prince George agenda was a meeting with senior COFI member company representatives to discuss challenges and opportunities that exist in the various Asian markets.

For more information about COFI's Market Access and Trade activities and Canada Wood contact:

Paul Newman, Director by phone: (604) 891-1215 or by e-mail: newman@cofi.org or Wayne Iverson, Program Manager, Emerging Markets by phone: (604) 891-1216 or by e-mail: iversen@cofi.org.

According to the Board’s news release, British Columbia's rate of economic growth (real GDP) per capita climbed to 2nd place in Canada in 2004, from 5th place in 2003. After-tax income levels per capita remained unchanged in 3rd place in 2004, while the Board's jobs measure - the employment rate (ages 15-64) - improved to 5th place in Canada, up from 6th place in 2003 and 7th in 2002. B.C. continues to rank 1st in the country on the Progress Board's environmental quality index (1999-2003), 1st for life expectancy at birth, and 10th for low income incidence based on Statistics Canada's low income cut-offs measure. In its annual report for 2001, the Progress Board established a goal for the province to be 1st or 2nd on each of these core targets by 2010.

The Interim Report also contains preliminary evidence of an economic 'renaissance' outside of the large metropolitan areas (the Greater Vancouver, Capital, and Fraser Valley Regional Districts). During 2004, annual growth rates for population, employment, housing starts and business incorporations in Regional B.C. as a whole outpaced those in the large metropolitan areas.

"B.C. moved ahead of the national average in economic growth per capita in 2004 for the third straight year", stated David Black, Chair of the Progress Board and President of Victoria-based Black Press Ltd. "This is good news for the province as a whole, and the evidence that regions outside of the major metropolitan areas are also improving is very encouraging", Black continued.

The Progress Board's Interim Report also includes a supplemental special focus report examining B.C. Trade and Emerging Asian Opportunities, especially with fast-growing China. Among the findings:

• Imports from China make up 18.6 percent of BC's total, up from 4.9 percent in 1994;
• China has emerged as B.C.'s strongest growth market, with exports increasing by over three times their 1995 value of $501 million to $1.7 billion in 2004;
• B.C.'s principal exports to China are pulp, paper and ethylene glycol, with strong growth in semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing, and navigational, measuring, medical & control instruments;
• Energy exports - oil, gas and coal - are a large opportunity moving forward for Canada generally, and B.C. and Alberta in particular, given China's rapidly emerging middle class, expanding transportation network, and steadily growing manufacturing sector;
• As the destination for only 4.0 percent of B.C'.s wood products, China presents an enormous untapped market, but success for B.C. lumber producers will require extensive marketing efforts; and,
• Education, tourism, and host of other services also present B.C. with export opportunities to China.

"B.C. is well positioned to take advantage of export opportunities offered by rapidly growing markets in China", noted Tim McEwan, Executive Director of the Progress Board. "Making the most these opportunities will require efforts to ensure that BC's general economic foundations remain strong, along with a continued focus on improving transportation, education and other critical infrastructure", McEwan concluded.

The B.C. Progress Board, established by Premier Gordon Campbell in July 2001, is an independent Panel of 18 senior business and academic leaders. The Board's mandate is to competitively benchmark B.C.'s progress relative to other jurisdictions and to provide the government with advice on ways to improve provincial performance.

For more information see the website: www.bcprogressboard.com.

COFI's Paul Newman, Director of Market Access and Trade and chair of the Canada Wood Group notes that it is important to get something tangible on the ground so that builders, designers and developers can see what is possible. The Canada Wood Group is a consortium of industry associations with the objective to expand offshore export opportunities for Canadian wood products.

For more information contact Paul Newman by phone:
(604) 891-1215 or by e-mail: newman@cofi.org
or see the Dream Home China website: www.dreamhomechina.info and the Canada Wood website: www.canadawood.info.

The mandate of the Committee is to help the solid wood products industry develop a skilled trades workforce by focusing on common training objectives that can be achieved most effectively and efficiently through a collaborative approach. The top three priorities of the Committee are to:

• improve mill operations capacity to improve quality on-the-job training for apprentices;
• establish a trades upgrading program for selected trades;
• update Provincial Apprenticeship Programs to address content gaps and other shortcomings to better meet industry needs.

Committee work will focus on the five largest trades groups in solid wood sector:

• Electricians
• Millwrights
• Heavy Duty Mechanics
• Saw Trades (Benchpersons, Fitters and Filers)
• Planer Trades (Tech. I and Tech. II)

The Committee's directions were identified by a 2002 comprehensive needs assessment undertaken by the IFLRA and Locals 1-405 Cranbrook, 1-417 Kamloops and 1-423 Kelowna of the IWA (now United Steelworkers of America). The Committee is now concentrating on program design. The Committee includes representatives from industry associations, employers, unions from the North and South Interior and is consulting with Coast stakeholders.

A number of activities are already underway:

• A labour demand, supply and gap analysis, including a demographic profile of the existing workforce in each of the target trades.
• Employers are being asked to provide company projections of workforce needs
• Subject matter expert groups of trades people and supervisors will be formed to assist with program design.
• A competitive request for proposal process for research proposals to identify best practices in apprenticeship programs; current capacity and barriers related to apprenticeship take-up; potential course providers, feasible delivery options and learning resources for upgrade training; and, quality assurance and coordination models for the industry to consider.

In addition, the Heavy Industry Training Advisory Committee (HITAC) and organized labour are leading a parallel, multi-sector project focused on electricians working in industrial settings in the solid wood, pulp and paper, oil and gas and mining and smelting sectors. For more information about HITAC check the webpage: www.hitac.ca.

The Committee will need ongoing support from employers and the Steelworkers and will also work with industry groups in other sectors.

For more information contact any of the Committee members:

To receive e-mail bulletins about this initiative contact Brenda Weatherbed by e-mail: bweatherbed@iflra.com or Committee Chair, Sylvia Holland by e-mail: sholland@radiant.net.