Embracing a new vision

REBUILDING BC’S COASTAL FOREST INDUSTRY

Duncan Davies
President & Chief Executive
Officer, International Forest
Products Limited (Interfor)
International Forest
Products Limited is one of
western Canada’s largest
logging and sawmilling
companies producing a
diversified range of quality
wood products for sale to
world markets. It harvests
timber and manufactures
and markets lumber
products, logs and wood
chips. The company has
37 logging operations
and six sawmills in the
southern coastal region of
British Columbia and has
one logging operation
and one sawmill in the
central interior region.
Paul McElligott
President & Chief Executive
Officer, TimberWest Forest
Corporation
TimberWest Forest Corp.
is the largest owner of
private forestlands in
western Canada. The
company’s 334,000
hectares, providing a
sustainable annual harvest
of 2.1 million to 2.5
million m3 of logs, are
largely located on
Vancouver Island and
contain some of the best
coniferous forest growing
sites in the world. The
American Forest & Paper
Association has certified
that the company is
committed to managing
these private lands
according to sustainable
forestry standards under
its Sustainable Forestry
Initiative (SFI)SM Program.
The company also holds
two Tree Farm Licences
and operates one sawmill.
Craig Neeser
Vice President, British
Columbia Weyerhaeuser
Company Limited
Weyerhaeuser Company,
one of the world’s largest
integrated forest products
companies, was
incorporated in 1900. It
has offices or operations
in 18 countries, with
customers worldwide.
The company has
extensive operations on
the BC Coast, including
five softwood sawmills,
one hardwood mill, two
remanufacturing plants,
a TrusJoist facility, and six
timberlands operations.
Weyerhaeuser is principally
engaged in the growing
and harvesting of timber;
the manufacture,
distribution and sale
of forest products; and
real estate construction,
development and
related activities.
 BC COASTAL FORESTS
BC’s Coastal forest region consists
of 20 million hectares of the most
productive forest land in Canada.

CONTENTS
A Time for Vision, A Time for Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Beyond the Myths: The Reality Facing the Coastal Forest Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What Could the Industry Look Like – The Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Final Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry 1

A Time for Vision, To be sure, some progress has already been
made to reposition products, like hemlock

A Time for Action in Japan, and to reduce costs. But the

softwood lumber duties and the rising value
ONE OF BC’S PRIME ECONOMIC of the Canadian dollar have more than
GENERATORS IS IN A FIGHT FOR offset our progress. And, our competition
ITS VERY SURVIVAL has not stood still.

The BC Coastal forest industry contributes As leaders of three large Coastal forest
about $4 billion in wages and benefits companies, we believe the industry needs
to workers and families and more than a vision that addresses the real issues not
$2 billion in tax only to survive, but
revenue to various to thrive.
levels of government. This document does not
But few people realize “Most importantly, stakeholders
presume to have all the
the industry is in a in the forest industry must
answers. Rather, it is
steady downward recognize that its present about formulating
spiral that began more structure is not sustainable and a new beginning. It is
than 15 years ago. an attempt to paint a
that fundamental changes, even
The most recent wave picture of what the
painful ones, must be made. They
of layoffs in logging industry could look like
must be ready and in 10 years – if all
and sawmills is a
symptom of a structural willing to accept change, to share parties take collective
problem that is not the burden of change, and to action now.
easily solved. The cooperate in bringing it about.”
challenges are many
DR. PETER PEARSE, 2001
and complex. The
highest costs in the
world. Unreasonable
trade barriers. Restrictive operating
regulations. Rapidly changing market
characteristics. Continually evolving
customer and consumer expectations.
Outdated and excess equipment and mills.
Increasingly aggressive foreign competition.
Any one of these would be an economic
blow for any industry.

2 Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry

Active involvement from other Coastal By working together, we can create
forest companies, our workers, the IWA, ■ Enhanced stability and more prosperity
contractors, First Nations and communities in Coastal communities
is critical to strengthen and transform these ■ New job opportunities for our children
ideas into reality. The BC government – as and future generations
landlord and regulator – has a key role to ■ Greater and more stable financial returns
play in creating an environment that allows to the people of British Columbia
this vision to be achieved. ■ Renewed pride in a province built on an
industry that nurtures a sustainable and
Indeed, the BC public – as owner of 95%
renewable resource
of the resource – has the most to gain in
the revitalization of the The employees, families
Coastal industry. and communities who
WHAT THE COASTAL FOREST depend on the
Above all, we believe it
INDUSTRY MEANS TO industry’s viability
is possible to rebuild the
BRITISH COLUMBIANS require all of us to
industry. We also
come together now to
believe the vision ■ It provides almost 100,000 direct
take decisive action.
presented in this and indirect BC jobs
Alternatively, without
document is both ■ It supports more communities
a concerted and
realistic and achievable. than all other business sectors
cooperative effort, the
We know from other combined
industry and the way of
industries that dramatic ■ It provides enough taxes to
life it supports
structural changes can account for one of every five
will continue to decline.
renew a sector. Our dollars spent on health care in BC
workforce – highly or enough to pay for the
skilled and experienced education of almost 300,000
– is one of our children from Kindergarten
industry’s greatest through Grade 12, every year
assets. With the support
and partnership of our
workers and their
unions – particularly the IWA – we believe
the Coastal forest industry can succeed
in making this kind of change.

Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry 3


Beyond the Myths
THE REALITY FACING THE
COASTAL FOREST INDUSTRY
It’s easy to blame softwood lumber
duties for the problems facing the
Coastal forest industry. But the truth is,
the current crisis has been more than 15
years in the making. There are at least
23,000 fewer people working in the
industry today than in the 1980s.
Harvest levels, profitability and capital
investment continue to decline.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We can turn
the industry around. The first step is to dispel
the myths that hold back needed change. By
facing the facts, we can recast the future of
the industry and create new opportunities.
4 Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry
FACT #1: BC HAS TWO SEPARATE
AND UNIQUE FOREST SECTORS,
COAST AND INTERIOR
From the species and size of trees, to the
types of mills, products and markets, the
Coast and Interior forest sectors are vastly
different. Average products from the Coast
typically sell for almost twice the price of
lumber produced by Interior sawmills. But
costs on the Coast are more than double
those of the Interior. The bottom line is the
Coast and Interior are two unique
industries, with equally unique challenges
and needs.
FACT #2: THE WORLD IS AWASH
IN WOOD
The dramatic increase in competition from
other regions and non-wood substitutes
means that our customers have more choice
than ever before. Just 15 years ago, only six
regions of the world supplied Japan with
wood products. Today more than 100
regions compete for its business. New
European competitors captured $800 million
in annual sales to Japan from Coastal
producers in the last five years alone. The
Coast is also losing ground in other key
markets – lumber shipments to the United
States and Europe declined by 40% and
75%, respectively, in the last 15 years.
 BC Coast Lumber Shipments On The Decline FACT #4: OUR HIGH-QUALITY
1987 – 2002 (Millions FBM)
5500 WOOD NO LONGER PROVIDES
5000 A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
4500
BC’s Coastal forests produce some of the
4000
strongest and most beautiful wood in the
3500

3000
2500
2000
1500
87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02
FACT #3: THE PROBLEM IS
STRUCTURAL, NOT CYCLICAL
Prices go up and down and markets
fluctuate. But the problems facing the
industry have more to do with high costs,
uncertainty about land use – both land
claims and access – and changing market
dynamics. These are structural problems
that must be addressed if the Coastal
industry is to have a viable future.
world. For years our customers paid a
premium for appearance-grade Coastal
wood products. But they are no longer
willing to pay the traditional premiums
because our competitors are now using
technology to turn inferior wood into
high-quality products that compete directly
with Coastal products. Our products are also
facing more competition from non-wood
alternatives, including plastic, cement and
composite wood products. In fact, our most
abundant species, hemlock, has lost 50% of
its primary market in recent years.
FACT #5: A RISING DOLLAR HURTS
THE FOREST INDUSTRY
Canadian exporters have benefited for years
from the low value of the Canadian dollar
relative to the US dollar. The majority of
products shipped offshore or into the
United States is sold in US dollars. So the
rise of the Canadian dollar, from 63 cents at
the end of last year to more than 73 cents,
means that we actually receive less money
for our export products today than we did
last year. This has cost Coastal forest
companies millions of dollars in revenue and
cash flow that would otherwise be used to
support operations.

Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry 5

 HIGH COSTS AND
THE SPIRAL OF DECLINE
The Coastal industry has the highest
costs of any region in the world because
■ Labour costs are significantly higher
than in any other jurisdiction in
North America
■ Difficult terrain increases the
complexity and cost of logging
■ Past government policies have
traditionally hindered the natural
rationalization of operations and, in
the 1990s, new regulatory costs and
higher stumpage rates were imposed
■ The lack of capital reinvestment has
resulted in obsolete and inefficient
operations
The high cost structure has undermined
the region’s competitive position as
prices continue to decline in the
global marketplace.
The Hemlock
Challenge
Six out of 10 trees on the Coast are hemlock.
So as the fortunes of hemlock go, so goes
the state of the Coastal forest industry.
Hemlock’s abundance, beauty, strength and
versatility helped fuel exports to Japan to
just over one billion board feet in 1995.
Unfortunately, that same year, the Kobe
earthquake destroyed thousands of homes
and Japan’s passion for unseasoned or
“green” hemlock products.
Prior to the earthquake, the trend towards
kiln-dried lumber was already evident.
Increased competition, particularly from
Scandinavia and Western Europe, provided
Japan with alternatives that took market
share away from Coastal producers.

This has led to a downward spiral of

lost market share, reduced operations
and low profitability. With inadequate
profitability, companies do not
generate the cash needed for
ongoing reinvestment, research and
development, and marketing. It also
makes it more difficult to access the
capital required for major projects such
as the construction of new mills.

The downward spiral also leads to

significant job losses, reduced work
hours, community instability and,
ultimately, less revenue to government.

6 Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry

 prices, which dropped from an average of
$114 per cubic meter in 1995 to $68 per
cubic meter in 2002.

Log prices have fallen even further in 2003

– to $56 per cubic meter – reflecting the
current weak state of the markets. With the
average cost of harvesting on public lands
on the Coast currently in the range of $100
per cubic meter, hemlock is being harvested
at a significant loss.

Average Annual Value of Hemlock Lumber

($/mfbm)
$900
The Coastal industry was slow to recognize
$850
and adapt to these changes. As the industry
struggled to catch up by investing in kiln-drying $800

technology and new products, other $750

challenges mounted
$700
■ The Japanese economy entered a major
recession in 1997, which reduced housing $650

starts by 40% $600

95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02
■ Supply from Europe, Russia and other
Average Hemlock Value $/mfbm
regions – supported by currency Source: Statistics Canada

advantages – siphoned away additional

market share from Coastal producers Average Annual Value of Hemlock Logs
($/m3)
$120
The loss of market share in Japan
exacerbated the Coast’s loss of market share $110

in the US and Europe that had occurred $100

because of trade restrictions and high costs

$90
in the 1980s and early part of the 1990s.
$80

As a result, the average value of hemlock

$70
products shipped to world markets has
$60
declined from $857 per thousand board
feet in 1995 to $630 per thousand board $50
95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02
feet in 2002 – a drop of 26%. This, in turn, Average Hemlock Log Value $/m
3

Source: Vancouver Log Market

has put downward pressure on hemlock log

Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry 7


What the Industry
Could Look Like –
Our Vision
We can and will reverse the Coast’s
decline. But it will not be easy and it
will come with some short-term pain.
Between $750 million and $1 billion in
new capital investment will be required
over the next 10 years. No one should
underestimate the challenge involved in
raising this amount of money. We must
also invest in and aggressively market
new wood products.
Our vision for the future of BC’s Coastal
forest industry is founded on a safe,
environmentally sustainable and profitable
industry. Achieving the vision means
generating new investment, creating
new wealth and building secure, stable
communities, now and for future generations.
8 Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry
It means building an international
reputation for environmental leadership
and world-class safety performance. It
means state-of-the-art mills that pay the
market price for every log. It means open
access for new industry players, big and
small, and new partnerships with First
Nations. It means being the supplier of
choice worldwide with more specialty,
value-added products and fewer commodity
products. It means cutting the full
sustainable harvest. It means more revenue
for government and more full-time jobs. It
means forest policies that benefit British
Columbians first and foremost.
And, importantly, it means that children
growing up in BC will know there is a
strong future for those who work in the
Coastal forest industry.
To make this vision a reality, we are
prepared to make commitments based
on our individual circumstances – such as
where and how we operate – to accelerate
the transition and to assist affected workers.
But we cannot do it alone. Other
participants in the industry must deliver
if we are to succeed.
Together, we have to address the real issues
■ Conflicts over access to the resource
■ High costs
■ Low product values and poor market
positioning
■ Perceptions about the long-term future
of the industry
Now more than ever, collective and
cooperative action is needed. Everyone can
win, but tough choices need to be made.
#1 VISION: WORLD-CLASS MILLS
The industry of the future will break the
cycle of “no profit, no investment, no
modernization, no future.” It will be globally
cost-competitive and create more value
from every log. Efficient mills will mean
logs harvested in BC, stay in BC. Improved
financial returns will provide the funds
to keep pace with changing market
circumstances and for ongoing reinvestment
in new technology. The industry of the
future will have fewer primary mills, but
they will be world-class mills and will run
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They will
extract the highest value from each log. In
10 years, there will be four to six new small
log mills on the Coast. As well, a revitalized
Coastal industry will help to secure the needs
of the pulp and paper sector and leverage
additional investment in those facilities.
OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL
UPGRADE EXISTING MILLS AND BUILD
NEW ONES
■ We will retool existing mills that have the
potential to be competitive in the new
Coastal industry.
■ We will build or encourage investment in
new, technologically advanced sawmills to
process the growing supply of smaller
second-growth logs.
#2 VISION: A VIBRANT, GROWING,
VALUE-ADDED INDUSTRY
Renewed profitability will enable
reinvestment in new technology and the
growth of a vibrant remanufacturing sector.
BC Coastal woods such as hemlock,
fir, cedar, spruce, alder and maple are
exceptionally beautiful and versatile. They
are prized worldwide for their appearance
and durability. We envision a Coastal
industry in which they are processed in BC
by local craftsmen and by a globally
competitive, value-focused manufacturing
industry. New investments in dry kilns and
secondary manufacturing will help to
reposition Coastal forest products in the
marketplace. It will also increase the
employment and economic opportunities
for the next generation of Coastal workers
and communities.
Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry 9
OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL
ENCOURAGE AND INVEST IN
SECONDARY MANUFACTURING
■ We will double the volume of lumber that
is remanufactured into specialty products
within 10 years.
■ We will encourage further development
of the Coast’s value-added sector
through direct investments, joint ventures
or partnerships.

#3 VISION: BRAND-NAME PRODUCTS

AND EXPANDED MARKETS
The industry of the future will be recognized
for brand-name products that feature the #4 VISION: RESPECTED WORLDWIDE
unique attributes of Coastal wood. BC FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP
hemlock, Douglas fir and western red cedar
The industry of the future will continue
will be names of choice. These products will
to meet the high environmental standards
sell in every corner of the world. Along with
demanded by our customers and BC citizens.
our traditional markets, emerging markets
The Coastal industry will be a global leader
such as China and India – with their growing
in environmental management through the
middle classes – will be the destination for
application of science-based principles,
more Coastal wood products. Exports of
collaborative approaches, sustainable forest
Coastal forest products will grow from $2.5
practices and independent, third-party
billion today to $4 billion in 2013.
certification. Environmental integrity is a
OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL INVEST hallmark that will ensure the environmental,
IN R&D, PRODUCT PROMOTION AND social and economic viability of our forests.
MARKET DEVELOPMENT
■ We will double our investment in product
development and promotion, including
branding hemlock and other major
Coastal species as products of choice.
■ We will invest in recapturing market share
in North America, Europe and Japan.
■ We will invest in growing our market
share in the world’s emerging markets,
including China and India.

10 Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry

OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL
PURSUE INNOVATIVE, ECO-SENSITIVE
FORESTRY PRACTICES
■ We will continue to develop new and
innovative approaches to sustainable
forestry that reflect local and global values.
■ We will encourage non-traditional
approaches to forestry, such as single-stem
harvesting and ecosystem-based
management, to foster a climate of
innovation and to enhance environmental
standards.
■ We will maintain high environmental
standards under the new results-based,
Forest and Range Practices Act.
#5 VISION: SUCCESSFUL RESOLUTION
OF LAND USE ISSUES
Secure access to the forest resource will
provide the foundation for investment in
forestry and manufacturing. The industry of
the future will have a diversified tenure base
and land use plans that reconcile competing
demands on BC’s land base.
OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL
ENCOURAGE THE FINALIZATION
OF LAND USE PLANS AND THE
SETTLEMENT OF FIRST NATIONS’
LAND CLAIMS
■ We will continue to devote resources to
assist in the completion of land use plans
for the Central and North Coast regions
and Haida Gwaii.
■ We will support government efforts to
reach understandings, agreements and
treaties with First Nations that will lead
to land use certainty for all.
■ We will continue to develop cooperative
relationships with First Nations that
provide economic opportunities and
respect for their cultural values.
Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry 11

#6 VISION: WORLD-CLASS SAFETY
PERFORMANCE
The industry of the future will be one where
no one gets hurt and no one gets killed.
All workers will go home safely, all the time.
We will have a culture that no longer
accepts that accidents are a part of the
business. Everyone will believe that all
accidents are preventable. Everyone will put
working safely first, all the time.
OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL COMMIT
TO AND FUND PROGRAMS TO
ENHANCE SAFETY AWARENESS AND
PERFORMANCE
■ We will work towards the elimination of
fatalities and to achieving a Medical
Incident Rate (MIR) of less than one.
■ We will ensure that contractors and
others we work with have the same focus
and accountability on safety performance.
12 Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry
#7 VISION: MORE FULL-TIME,
STABLE JOBS
The industry of the future will enhance
community stability by providing more
full-time, family-supporting jobs. There is
the potential to create more than 5,000
new full-time jobs in the solid wood
sector, including positions in silviculture,
logging, sawmilling, product development,
value-added remanufacturing, marketing
and transportation by 2013. The
relationship between the IWA and industry
will be redefined to recognize the mutual
importance of workers’ contributions and
companies’ need for profitability.
OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL WORK
WITH WORKERS AND THEIR UNION
TO MODERNIZE THE LABOUR
AGREEMENT, LOWER COSTS AND
REBUILD THE INDUSTRY
■ We will work to achieve a collective
agreement that is modern, flexible, free
from restrictive work practices and one
that ensures employees do well when
companies do well.
■ We will work with the IWA to reduce
labour costs to bring them in line with
costs in other North American regions.
There are significant savings to be made
through improved productivity, eliminating
“pay for time not worked” provisions, and
implementing more flexible work practices.
■ We will negotiate a separate collective
agreement for value-added facilities that
improves the competitiveness of existing
operations and encourages investment in
new facilities.
#8 VISION: WORKERS LEAVING THE #9 VISION: MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
INDUSTRY ARE TREATED WITH SMALL BUSINESSES
DIGNITY AND RESPECT
A healthy forest industry in the future will
In the short-term, transforming the industry reward entrepreneurial initiative in Coastal
will mean fewer jobs. A successful transition communities. There will be more
will assist people leaving the industry as opportunities for independent contractors
they move into retirement or pursue other and small businesses. Partnerships between
opportunities. Significant funding will be large integrated forest companies and
required to provide a sound social safety net smaller, community-based contractors will
for affected workers. be more important as we move to a more
market-based system.
OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL HELP
FUND TRANSITION AND MITIGATION
PROGRAMS FOR DISPLACED WORKERS
■ We will invest a portion of the
compensation we receive from the
government’s tenure take-back to ensure
people leaving the industry are treated
with dignity and respect as they move into
retirement or pursue other opportunities.
■ We will work with the provincial
government and the IWA to attract
additional funding to assist our workers in
the transition.
■ We will create opportunities for younger
workers by assisting older workers to
bridge to retirement.

Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry 13

OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL
ENCOURAGE INNOVATIVE
ARRANGEMENTS WITH COMMUNITY-
BASED FORESTRY AND LOGGING
CONTRACTORS
■ We will encourage the government and
the contractor community to further
pursue the modernization of contractor
legislation to ensure it is market-based.
■ We will encourage new and innovative
relationships with the most efficient
community-based contractors.
■ We will provide financial assistance to
support the rationalization of contractor
operations. OUR COMMITMENT: WE WILL SUPPORT
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
#10 VISION: FOREST POLICIES THAT GOVERNMENT POLICY REFORM
BENEFIT ALL BRITISH COLUMBIANS
■ We will work with government to identify
The BC government has brought forward
and complete negotiations for one-quarter
the most substantive and innovative policy
of the tenure take-back under consideration
reforms in half a century. The successful
by the end of 2003, with the balance fully
implementation of the provincial
complete by the end of 2004.
government’s forest policy reforms should
■ We will work with government to
accelerate the recovery of the industry and,
implement a fair and equitable
in turn, the provincial economy. A healthy
market-based stumpage system.
industry will provide more revenue to
■ We will work with other forest licensees
government and protect funding for health
to create more logical management units
care, education and other social programs.
and to lower harvesting costs.
The BC government will have completed
the 20% tenure take-back from licensees,
giving First Nations, communities and
small businesses a larger role in managing
the forests.

14 Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry

USING BC’S STRENGTHS TO attributes of Coastal species (see insert).
COMPETE INTERNATIONALLY Recently, the Coastal industry launched
the E-120 Grade, which is lumber
The BC Coast has some of the world’s
manufactured to a new standard
most desirable softwood and hardwood
designed to meet the specific needs of
timber – a tremendous base for
Japanese building codes.
competing internationally.
Coastal companies are also marketing
We need to bolster these natural
Coastal species as alternatives to other
strengths through increased marketing
products for doors, windows, staircase
and product development. Better
components, moulding, panelling,
marketing means anticipating the future
siding, flooring,
needs of our
ladders and similar
customers. It means
joinery and
working with each
architectural
customer to see
millwork items.
how Coastal wood
products can be
adapted to respond
better to the
changes taking
place in their
business.

For example, the

Coastal industry is aggressively
repositioning hemlock in the
marketplace, starting with making
significant investments in advanced
kiln-drying technology. On the
marketing side, the Zairai Lumber
Partnership, a consortium sponsored by
the federal and provincial governments
and five Coastal lumber producers, is
using research and promotion to ensure
Japanese builders are informed about
the superior performance and unique

Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry 15


Final Thoughts
In recent years the Coastal forest
industry has been struggling to deal with
changes in the global economy. And,
while some progress has been made,
people continue to hold onto the past –
unwilling to face the reality that the
industry cannot survive on its present
course.
There are numerous aspects of our external
environment beyond our control – such as
the Canadian dollar, new competitors and
the softwood lumber dispute. But there are
critical factors fully within the control of
industry, labour, government and
contractors that we can change.
16 Embracing a new vision – Rebuilding BC’s coastal forest industry
The keys to revitalizing the Coastal industry
are repositioning our products, reducing
costs and achieving certainty over land use.
Achieving these goals requires the
modernization of our labour agreements,
the implementation of policy reform, capital
investment and the belief that the industry
can be revitalized.
The BC government’s policy reforms can
provide the foundation for rebuilding our
competitiveness and attracting capital
investment.
However, what is clear is that no single
party can turn things around on its own.
Now more than ever, collective and
cooperative action is needed to accelerate
positive change.
We are not prepared to sit idly by and
watch the continued decline of one of BC’s
key industries. For its part, industry has a
significant responsibility, which our three
companies are embracing.
This document has detailed the actions we
are committed to undertake in the months
and years ahead if others are willing to join
with us in charting a path towards creating
a new and vibrant Coastal forest industry
that benefits all British Columbians.