Facing "significant challenges" Northern Mayors call on Ottawa for help in BC forestry crisis

With mill after mill shutting down or curtailing operations and thousands of British Columbians out of work in the forestry, Twenty one northern Mayors and other officials have signed on to a letter to the Federal government.

The document which was forwarded to three Federal Ministers on Wednesday urges the Federal government to bring some support to the communities across the northern half of the province.

The document notes some of the challenges that have faced the BC forest industry in recent years, from the mountain pine beetle devastation, as well as the recent years of forest fires that have taken their toll on the forestry.

The letter also observes as to how timber shortages have driven up log costs and how the current level of tariffs in place on Canadian lumber by the US have all contributed to the dire situation facing those who make their living in the industry and the communities that host those operations.

The signatories of the letter include many communities in the Northwest including Terrace, Smithers Kitimat, Hazleton, New Hazelton, Telkwa and Queen Charlotte.

The two communities of the North Coast, Prince Rupert and Port Edward do not appear on the list of signatories to the regional effort of this week.

The call for action from the local communities of Northern BC follows a similar call for assistance from NDP MP Nathan Cullen, as we outlined on the blog on Wednesday, Mr. Cullen delivered his own correspondence for federal officials.

In his letter to the Federal government he made note of the tough times facing many of the communities of Northern British Columbia and asked that the Federal government provide some form of assistance to help carry over the gap from the ongoing shutdowns.

One of the signatories to the Mayors' letter is Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach, he is also the NDP candidate in the upcoming Federal election, having secured the NDP nomination in May.

You can get a sense of the growing crisis in the forestry sector from our archive page here, which chronicles many of the forestry related developments of the year.