VICTORIA, B.C. – In response to the province’s new $90M manufacturing jobs fund to support investment in manufacturing and other value-added jobs in the forest industry, Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, has issued the following statement:
“The forestry industry in British Columbia is in a state of collapse. Premier David Eby recently commented that our forests are ‘exhausted’ and that has come from unsustainable decision-making by government and industry. This unfortunate situation is decades in the making. While we welcome this announcement and recognize how important it is to invest in value-added products and innovation, what British Columbians need is for the provincial government to invest in a restoration mindset on our tired landscape.
“A restoration economy would create stable, well-paying jobs and economic opportunities while restoring degraded ecosystems. It provides a long-term view of this resource industry that has been short-sighted for decades.
“Companies have extracted vast amounts of wealth from British Columbia’s forests. When we shift our mindset away from only prioritizing timber harvest values to prioritizing ecosystem health then we are creating a resilient sustainable industry for generations to come.”
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