We thank Larry Pedersen, Deputy Minister of Agriculture & Lands and long time friend of Peter for the following reflection on Peter's contributions and legacy:

We were all saddened by the recent loss of our friend and colleague Peter Affleck. Peter was a friend of mine for over 35 years and I was honored to eulogize his working life at his service in Winfield.

Initially, I put the word out to Peter's university classmates and many of his work colleagues from over the years that I would be happy to hear stories and reflections about their experiences with Peter. I was immediately inundated with an outpouring of sympathy to Peter's family as well as an in-box full of stories and recollections of time with Peter. Many of the stories were incredibly funny, many were very poignant, and some were....well....unrepeatable, but nonetheless a true testimony of the colorful and engaging individual that Peter was.

I said at his service that I was struck by the fact that you can know someone well, and respect them, and somehow at the same time, still underestimate them. That was what I concluded after speaking to so many of Peter's friends and reading all of the input I received. Peter was so engaged, on so many fronts...both at work and at home...that few among us really fully appreciated his dedication, his passion, his organization, his intellect and his ability to get things done.

Peter had certain attributes that defined him and they showed up in almost all situations he was involved in. For example, he always had his eye on the long horizon. He was a goal setter that knew where he wanted to get to and he simply would not....and probably could not...stop working towards those goals until he felt that they had been achieved to his standard. Simply put, no exercise or undertaking that Peter was involved in, was over, until Peter said it was over. Many of you will know, that this attribute of Peter's was to the true delight of some and the true chagrin of others.

He had one speed....fully engaged and committed to the outcome. This was true at work, in his significant role in the community and also in his role in his family. Peter had so much energy that he constantly amazed and astounded those around him. He could enter a room full of many people, debate a broad range of issues intensively for the day, and leave behind a room full of exhausted people while he cheerfully moved on to his next meeting.

Peter was also noted to be a very gregarious individual, who at the end of the day loved to kick back, put work to the background, and enjoy the company of those around him. He endeared himself to most people he met and he did this in a way that was engaging and sincere. He engaged CEOs and their staff on the ground with equal vigor and respect. It is no wonder then, that he was known across the country and that his passing was noted in the BC legislature.

However, while Peter was a leader who accomplished much, he was also well known as a person whom, at almost all instances of engagement, inquired about how things were going with your family and who proudly told stories about how things were going with his family. Everyone who knew Peter, knew of his intense dedication to Anne and their four sons. And there is no doubt of the legacy he has left with his four sons. Their strength of character and thoughtfulness showed through in the memorial service, as they each spoke in a confident and graceful manner about what their father meant to them and how he had shaped their lives. We were all touched and importantly they showed us that they were strong and they would stand at their mother's side as the family copes with Peter's loss.

We have lost a true friend....a person who had a significant influence on forestry in BC and a person whose contributions will be missed. It is wonderful and appropriate that COFI and the provincial government are respectively initiating a scholarship fund in his name and a forest stewardship award to commemorate his achievements. Now we need to find a small band of strong men to replace him!

Over 250 delegates were hosted by the "Energetic City" of Fort St John in the big sky country of the sunny Peace. Conference activities ranged from business sessions about the day to day municipal operating realities of community policing, municipal financing and waste management to regionally significant programs such as the Northern Medical trust program. Social events provided valuable networking opportunities. Featured speakers included the Minister of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources, Richard Neufeld and the Official Leader of the Opposition, Carole James.

COFI participated in the conference as a sponsor of the Saturday morning breakfast and collaborated with CWC/WoodWORKS! to have Peter Moonen make a presentation on "Innovation in Forest Products & Markets for the 21st Century". Peter's presentation drew considerable interest from delegates despite being an early 'morning after' the banquet event. A number of municipalities considering building projects in the coming year sought additional information from Peter after the presentation.
For more information contact: Doug Routledge, RPF Vice President, Northern Operations at: (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at: routledge@cofi.org.

Peter Moonen answers wood related questions from NCMA delegates.	WoodWORKS! Peter Moonen is the guest speaker at the COFI sponsored breakfast at NCMA.

The Honourable Rich Coleman, Minister of Forests; the Honourable Richard Neufeld, Minister of Energy, Mines & Petroleum Resources and MLA for Peace River North; Blair Lekstrom, MLA for Peace River South; Chief Roland Willson, Treaty 8 and Jim Eglinski, Mayor Fort St. John joined Canfor / LP Peace Valley OSB senior staff in opening the 820 million ft² facility.

Over 125 business and community leaders attended the opening and toured the $250 million 'state-of-the-art' facility. The mill hosted public tours on May 13th.

For more information contact:Kevin Brown, KB Communications at (250) 613.9369 or by e-mail: kevin@kbcommunications.ca

To initiate a faller search, contact Wendy, at the Western Fallers Association, by phone at: (250) 754-3908 or by e-mail: kitfox@shaw.ca. She will generate a brief e-mail message indicating what type of work is available that will be sent to all fallers registered with the Association.

The information required to initiate a search through the Job Link is quite general:

• Name and contact info
• Area of the job
• Type of work: i.e. Helicopter, Retention etc.
• Are you looking for Independents or a Contractor?

Promoting career choices in the forestry sector is a key element of forest education. In April, recruiters from Selkirk and TRU visited high schools throughout the Okanagan-Columbia, educating students about the forest industry and the skills and opportunities that might be available to them, should they pursue a career in this field. Careers in the industry were also promoted by Southern Interior forest educators through career fairs, school presentations, field tours and special events.
A new career promotion pilot project in the Okanagan-Columbia will see high school students from a number of districts attend an "Introduction to Forestry" certificate program at Silver Lake Forestry Camp in late May, run by volunteer instructors from BCIT and UBC and modeled after a program BCIT offers in the Lower Mainland. This program will give students a chance to gain firsthand experience as they explore some of the concepts taught in post-secondary forestry/natural resource science programs throughout BC.

After months of preparation, the 6th annual Environmental Mind Grind competitions were held in several communities across the Southern Interior in April and May, as student teams from Grades 4 through 12 competed to show their knowledge in areas such as forestry, waste reduction, watershed health, air quality, endangered species and energy conservation. For the second year, COFI (Southern Operations) was one of the sponsors for this event.

National Forest Week presentations were a big success once again this spring, with numerous industry volunteer presenters visiting elementary schools throughout the Cariboo, Thompson, West Kootenay and Okanagan-Columbia. This year's lesson, "The Amazing Diversity of BC's Forests", was based on the BEC system commonly used in BC forest management and focused on four broad forest types. Over 12,000 students will have been reached by the end of this year's blitz!! Many thanks to all of the volunteers for helping to make this incredible feat possible.

The Interior Logging Association's forest education van has been touring the Southern Interior, visiting elementary schools and events in the Cariboo, Thompson and Okanagan and is scheduled to visit the West Kootenay in the coming weeks. Always a popular destination for visitors, the van will also be on the road this summer to many communities and provincial parks.

For more information on forest education in the Southern Interior, contact Deb Bazett at bazett@cofi.org or go to www.learnforestry.com to access resources or to read about events in the Learn Forestry News online newsletter's latest edition.

"The Mitsui employees from Japan appreciate very much the opportunity to plant the next generation of trees in BC forests. It is increasingly important for our employees and customers to know that BC's lumber comes from sustainably managed forests" said Atsushi Okumura, General Manager for Mitsui Homes Canada.

The tree planting events were hosted by West Fraser Timber in Quesnel and L & M Nechako in Vanderhoof. Both companies were enthusiastic in extending their hospitality and were pleased to have the opportunity to strengthen their relationships with such an important customer.

The tour also included visits to a number of manufacturing facilities in Kamloops, 100 Mile House, Quesnel, and Vanderhoof, as well as a tree seedling nursery.

The commitment by Mitsui Homes to Canadian lumber goes back many years. In 1979 the company established a local purchasing office in Vancouver. In 1994 a processing plant was opened in Langley and Mitsui Homes remains an important lumber customer for BC firms.

For more information contact Steve Kozuki, General Manager, Forestry by phone at (250) 614-4351 or by e-mail: kozuki@cofi.org.

The $3.28 million dollar two story atrium was designed by PBK Architects and beautifully features wood in the design concept.

The facility is now open to host major events and conferences - including Forest Expo which will be held June 1-3rd.

For more information contact
Doug Routledge, RPF
Vice President, Northern Operations at: (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at: routledge@cofi.org.

Harris knows firsthand the importance of safety and the impact that injuries and fatalities can have on workers and their families. In 1986 while working as a falling contractor, his right hand was nearly severed when his chainsaw kicked back. His brother-in-law was killed in a forestry accident at age 18.

"I have a passion for the woods becoming a safe place because I've been there. I've lived the worst side of it, but I think it's still the greatest occupation in the world. I want the Ombudsman's office to be a vehicle that deals with issues before we have incidents."- Roger Harris

As the BC Forest Safety Council began operations in 2005, forestry workers and employers of all kinds said there needed to be a way to raise safety concerns in an open manner.

To deal with this issue a new and innovative approach was need to show that the discussion of safety issues, difficult though they might be, would be encouraged and supported.

The forest sector took the bold step of creating the position of Forest Safety Ombudsman in order to provide an impartial, confidential and fair avenue for safety issues to be raised.

The Forestry Safety Ombudsman will enhance safety in the BC forest sector by becoming a safe, confidential and persuasive agent for the raising and review of safety concerns throughout the sector and facilitating impartial and timely resolution of safety issues.

The Ombudsman will review, recommend, mediate and conciliate where necessary. The Ombudsman will also rely on national and international experience and leading examples of success to inform his work.

The Ombudsman will adhere to the following principles of operation:

• Impartiality in all respects, both in practice and in perception of practice;
• Fair and timely process;
• Confidentiality for companies and workers in order to identify real safety problems and find workable solutions to these safety problems; and
• Coordination of action given the number of other organizations involved in safety in British Columbia. In particular the Ombudsman will work closely with WorkSafeBC given its mandate to enhance worksite and worker safety in British Columbia.

833 students completed the lumber grading course during the winter months in 18 interior communities: Armstrong, Burns Lake, Canal Flats, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Chetwynnd, Elko, Grand Forks, Fort St. James, Houston, Mackenzie, Prince George, Princeton, Quesnel, Smithers, Vanderhoof, Williams Lake & 100 Mile House.

COFI quality control manager Gary Desrosier said the intent of the annual course is to introduce novice lumber graders to the Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber and improve the skills of previously qualified lumber graders. He explained, "Friendly competition is the driving force at the Annual Interior Lumber Grading Championship to be held in Kelowna May 27th for all BC lumber graders, but the goal for lumber grading education classes is different. We are endeavouring to increase the knowledge and hone the skill set of individuals. The only competition is personal, one on one, inside each person."

Desrosier said more than 378 new entrants registered for this year's courses. More than half of the "rookies" demonstrated competence in theory and practical tests, reaching the minimum 70 per cent mark to earn a 'B' lumber grading ticket. 'A' and 'AA' tickets, together with plaques and monetary awards, are given to students who achieve the highest marks.

The top mark in the first-year division this year was split between Rhonda Barrett - Tembec Canal Flats & Matthew Sowa of West Fraser - Smithers Division.

In the Senior Division - Jarnail Gill of Pope & Talbot scored a perfect 100 %

Flawless 100 per cent skill was demonstrated in the Double AA Division, by Mark Bidder, Tembec- Canal Flats Division, and Ben Hawke, Galloway Lumber.

Mario Masini was the overall elite winner in the Double AA Challenge with a mark of 99.6%

Paul Kazakoff

P&T - Grand Forks Div.
99.9%

Colleen Cochran

Weyerhaeuser - Kamloops
99.7%

Gary Salanski

Tembec - Elko Div.
99.7%

Michael Thompson

P&T - Castlegar Div.
99.6%

Tom Hawke

Galloway Lumber
99.6%

Don Weaton

Galloway Lumber
99.3%

Travis White

Tembec - Canal Flats Div.
99.2%

Martin Pounder

Tembec - Canal Flats Div.
99.2%

Ralph Colebank

Weyerhaeuser - Kamloops
99.1%

Mike Carlson

Weyerhaeuser - Princeton
98.9%

Said Desrosier. "Our lumber grading students are either well on the way to mastering the difficult art and science of grading lumber or they are already masters. Their dedication makes them valuable to their companies, and their achievement should make them extremely proud."

For more information please contact Gary Desrosier at (250) 860-9663 or by e-mail: desrosier@cofi.org.

COFI members may contact Anne Mauch, Director, Regulatory Issues by phone at (604) 891-1213 or by e-mail at: mauch@cofi.org to make comments or get more information about how COFI is responding to this discussion paper.

The focus of the Trades Development Plan is on the five largest trades in the industry - millwright, electrician, heavy-duty mechanic, saw trades and planer trades. This bulletin provides background on the objectives, the distribution of the plan and the next steps to validate it and commence implementation.

• establishing an industry-wide trades upgrading program for journeypersons;
• improving solid wood operations capacity to provide high quality on-the-job training for apprentices; and,
• updating the Provincial Apprenticeship Programs to address gaps and deficiencies in order to meet the current and future needs of the solid wood industry.

Surveys to Validate Trades Development Plan and Assess Upgrade Training Demand

Validation Surveys - will be sent out with the Trades Development Plan to collect broad industry feedback on the various aspects of the plan. The Steering Committee believes the plan will be of interest to managers, supervisors, tradespersons, labour representatives and other stakeholders. The Steering Committee urges everyone to take the time to read the Trades Development Plan when it comes out and to provide feedback to the Committee by completing the validation survey.

Trades Upgrading Demand - a separate survey will be distributed to each operation to assess the demand for the various trades upgrading programs that have been recommended in the plan. The demand survey will determine which courses will be offered first, projected number of courses needed based on student demand, locations of the courses and other important details to launch an industry-wide trades upgrading program.

Analytical Trouble Shooting Courses being Piloted at Several Operations

Troubleshooting was the highest priority upgrade training need for all trades. The Steering Committee accepted the subject matter experts' recommendation to pilot an existing Kepner Tregoe Analytical Trouble Shooting program. The course is designed to enhance peoples' trouble shooting abilities, skills, techniques and confidence. Five courses have been scheduled between March and July 2006. Courses were held at West Fraser - Fraser Lake, Weyerhaeuser - Okanagan Falls, Pope and Talbot - Castlegar. Upcoming courses are scheduled for Dunkley Lumber in Prince George and Western Forest Products - Chemainus. Tolko operations are also utilizing this program. The feedback from the initial pilots has been very positive. More details on the trouble shooting course are included in the plan or you can contact the I.F.L.R.A.

Provincial Apprenticeship Programs

New Industrial Electrician Apprenticeship Program Update - The development of a new B.C. Industrial Electrician program is scheduled to commence in June 2006. A Request for Proposal (RFP) to develop the program and implementation plan has been tendered. The Committee is now in the process of receiving bids from both public and private educational groups and hopes to award the contract by May 31, 2006. Further information is available on this project through separate Communication Bulletins prepared by the HITAC/Labour Project Steering Committee or at www.hitac.ca.

Millwright Program Standards Review Project - The Industry Training Authority (ITA) has approved the Solid Wood Trades Development Steering Committee's request to lead a Program Standards Review for the millwright program. Terms of Reference have been finalized which include: updating the program standards, including reviewing and validating the new Occupational Analysis (which is currently under development); updating the program outline, examinations and program profile; reviewing and designing supporting tools and resources (Training Guides, Log Books, Learning Resources); and, assessing industry satisfaction with the existing program to determine if broader changes are needed to better serve industry. The next step for the Committee is to hire a project manager to develop the project plan and complete other preparatory work necessary to initiate the project. Although the Solid Wood industry has committed to take the lead on this project other industries that utilize the millwright program will be involved in the Steering Committee and work groups.

Saw Trades Program Review Request - The ITA did not approve the Steering Committee's request to lead a program standards review for the saw trades, due to a lack of resources. Committee members are requesting the ITA reconsider its decision and allocate funding for this project.

Planer Trades Program Survey & Funding Challenges - The Steering Committee conducted a demand survey on the Planermill Maintenance Technician apprenticeship programs. The survey results received indicate a decreasing use of Planer Technician training and an increasing dependency on Millwrights to maintain planer mills. This trend creates challenges for the sustainability of the program as the College of the Rockies is expecting reduced government funding based on its current apprenticeship enrolments. Further industry consultation and discussion with the College are necessary to address this situation.

Heavy-Duty Mechanic Program - The ITA does not have any immediate plans to conduct a Program Standards Review for the H.D. Mechanic Trade. The Solid Wood Trades Development Steering Committee is not prepared to lead a program review, but will participate if another industry sector or group takes on this project.

If you have questions about this initiative or require further information, please contact Paul Sourisseau, IFLRA, Manager, Training Services by phone at: (250) 860-3592 or by e-mail at: psourisseau@iflra.com.

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

The SAFE Companies program will provide forest companies with clear, practical standards so that they can establish and maintain successful health and safety programs that fit their needs. In addition, qualifying as SAFE makes a company eligible for a rebate of at least 5% on WCB payments. The audit standards will apply to every aspect of a company's safety program including management leadership, training, procedures, incident investigations, communications, disability management and contractor systems.

The BC Forest Safety Council's Keith Rush said "Good for these companies for stepping up, they should be congratulated and recognized for their willingness to demonstrate their interest and commitment to worker safety in the forest sector."

The Pilot project is expected to take place over the summer and the SAFE Companies program is scheduled to become operational in the fall of 2006.

SAFE Companies is one of a series of initiatives undertaken by the forest sector to address worker safety in the woods through the BC Forest Safety Council. Other initiatives include the Faller Certification program, Forestry Truck Safe, BC Safe Silviculture, the Forest Safety Ombudsman. COFI is a founding member of the BC Forest Safety Council.

For more information contact: Anne Mauch at (604) 891-1213 or by e-mail: mauch@cofi.org or go to the BC Forest Safety Council website: www.bcforestsafe.org.

Interested communities should submit a complete nomination package (available for download at www.abcfp.ca) that includes the Nomination form, a letter of interest, and a bid proposal. All nominations must be received by November 15, 2006.

For more information about the Forest Capital Program visit the ABCFP website: www.abcfp.ca