The B.C. Liberal government has, since December, been exporting raw logs that its own advisory committee has been saying should be going to producers in B.C.
On Tuesday, New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix said the Timber Export Advisory Committee (TEAC) deter-mined last December that logs from Quatsino Sound on Vancouver Island should be sold to Teal-Jones of Surrey instead of being shipped overseas.
But Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson overruled that recommendation, Dix said, allowing the logs to be sold into foreign markets.
“The minister owes people an explanation for his decision,” Dix said during question period Tuesday.
“The committee made the determination that keeping those logs in British Columbia was better for our economy than exporting them, and the minister overruled them.”
Thomson said his ministry rejected the recommendation because TEAC had changed the way it was evaluating whether or not logs should be sold to foreign buyers.
“Without just taking their advice directly, in this case because we knew there was policy implications that needed to be considered, we administered the policy the way that it had always been administered and the way they had previously been providing advice to us,” Thomson said Tuesday, adding the committee has no regulatory function, and is an advisory body only.
“It’s not a process of overruling TEAC,” he continued, “it’s a process of a shift in policy advice being received from the advisory committee.”
Ministry staff said the issue stretches beyond Teal-Jones, and has affected about 150 applications since December, comprising about 116,000 cubic metres of timber.
The ministry said that staff overturned TEAC recommendations on 86 applications in December and January, covering 70,145 cubic metres.
In February, the ministry stopped referring anything to the committee from the west coast of Vancouver Island, as they expected the decisions would be overturned. There were 47 offers in February, comprising 35,532 cubic metres.
In March, TEAC requested it be allowed to review cases again, and government agreed. The committee has so far reviewed 18 offers for 10,168 cubic metres, staff said.
Thomson said he has met with members of the committee and is reviewing the change they made in December to deter-mine if it’s something government is willing to adopt.
“We’re continuing to review that with [TEAC] and we’ve committed to get back to them,” he said, adding he will have an answer before the committee’s next meeting in April.
“But because there was a change in determination and a change in policy in terms of their advice we know we needed to look at this and have a discussion around the implications of the policy.”
At issue in the matter is the way TEAC judges fair market value for logs.
As of December, the commit-tee began looking at domestic offers for coastal logs that did not include the costs to ship the logs to the buyer. This represents a change from before, where the offer made for the logs had to include the cost of freight.
It means domestic offers can potentially be more competitive than before.
On Tuesday, NDP forest critic Norm Macdonald said the issue goes beyond the details of how to calculate market value, adding the key is all about jobs.
“You have manufacturers that are ready. You have Teal-Jones that has gone through the pro-cess. This is a company that produces jobs,” said Macdonald. “You have a host of companies that are ready, and these are the crumbs we’re talking about that go through this advisory committee. These are the crumbs, and even them – this minister will deny those mills.”
In 2011, British Columbia exported 5.87 million cubic metres of coastal raw logs. That was up from the 3.86 million cubic metres that were exported from the coast in 2010.
The UBC Ancient Forest Committee (AFC) is hosting an afternoon slideshow event on Thursday March 15th in the SUB Room 207/209. This is in conjunction with Student Environment Centre’s Responsible Consumption Week.
Thursday March 15th from 2:30-5pm “An Afternoon of BC’s Ancient Forest” Slideshow Events! Expand your knowledge and relationship with BC’s old-growth forests with these stunning photo and film adventures from two separate slideshows. These are the first public old-growth forest slideshow events to come to UBC in over 2 years! Help the UBC Ancient Forest Committee turn out a good crowd – invite your friends! Show your support and please help spread the word!!!
In SUB Room 207/209
Schedule
2:30 pm “Ecology and Politics of BC’s Ancient Forests: Avatar Grove, Cortes Island, Walbran Valley, Fangorn Forest, and much more…” presented by Ken Wu, the founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance.
3:45 pm “The Great Vancouver Forest” A film and photo documentation of the ancient rainforests of Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains. Presented by Ira Sutherland, UBC Forestry student and director of the UBC AFC.
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/afc-slideshow-poster-lg.jpg800619TJ Watthttps://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px.pngTJ Watt2012-03-13 00:00:002023-04-06 19:09:19An Afternoon of BC’s Ancient Forests at UBC Slideshow Event
The 2012 Tree Huggers Ball – Dance Party Extravaganza is here! This is going to be another huge night of live music, DJ’s, dance-offs, limbo contests, prizes and as always, a great crew of folks! Come dressed in any forest themed attire you desire!
DATE: Saturday, March. 10th TIME: 8pm – 1am LOCATION: Felicita’s Pub @ UVic TICKETS: $10 @ the UVSS booth in the SUB and at the door!
MUSIC FROM: The Stowaways! Compassion Gorilla! Benny The Jett! 5AM!
Through the last 2 events the UVic club has raised over $11,000 for the AFA making it nearly the largest contributor to the organization so far! So bring out your friends and get ready for an awesome time!
***********************************
★ COMPASSION GORILLA ★
Known for inciting dance parties in the street, where circus monkeys hang from streetlights and grizzly bears do cartwheels over cars, Compassion Gorilla takes the pulse and groove of an electronic dance party, and delivers it in an entirely live format. This 8-piece troupe of musical magicians packs a full-on festival presence and enwraps the audience in a spell of dance, magic and melody. https://www.compassiongorilla.com/
★ THE STOWAWAYS ★
If you feel like dancing, it’s The Stowaways prerogative: ripping fiddle tunes, mixed with high energy driving originals were the right medicine to get Raffi in the middle of the dance floor on Saltspring Island. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stowaways/190331387687024?sk=wall
Liberals ignoring committee on raw log exports: Dix
/in News CoverageThe B.C. Liberal government has, since December, been exporting raw logs that its own advisory committee has been saying should be going to producers in B.C.
On Tuesday, New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix said the Timber Export Advisory Committee (TEAC) deter-mined last December that logs from Quatsino Sound on Vancouver Island should be sold to Teal-Jones of Surrey instead of being shipped overseas.
But Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson overruled that recommendation, Dix said, allowing the logs to be sold into foreign markets.
“The minister owes people an explanation for his decision,” Dix said during question period Tuesday.
“The committee made the determination that keeping those logs in British Columbia was better for our economy than exporting them, and the minister overruled them.”
Thomson said his ministry rejected the recommendation because TEAC had changed the way it was evaluating whether or not logs should be sold to foreign buyers.
“Without just taking their advice directly, in this case because we knew there was policy implications that needed to be considered, we administered the policy the way that it had always been administered and the way they had previously been providing advice to us,” Thomson said Tuesday, adding the committee has no regulatory function, and is an advisory body only.
“It’s not a process of overruling TEAC,” he continued, “it’s a process of a shift in policy advice being received from the advisory committee.”
Ministry staff said the issue stretches beyond Teal-Jones, and has affected about 150 applications since December, comprising about 116,000 cubic metres of timber.
The ministry said that staff overturned TEAC recommendations on 86 applications in December and January, covering 70,145 cubic metres.
In February, the ministry stopped referring anything to the committee from the west coast of Vancouver Island, as they expected the decisions would be overturned. There were 47 offers in February, comprising 35,532 cubic metres.
In March, TEAC requested it be allowed to review cases again, and government agreed. The committee has so far reviewed 18 offers for 10,168 cubic metres, staff said.
Thomson said he has met with members of the committee and is reviewing the change they made in December to deter-mine if it’s something government is willing to adopt.
“We’re continuing to review that with [TEAC] and we’ve committed to get back to them,” he said, adding he will have an answer before the committee’s next meeting in April.
“But because there was a change in determination and a change in policy in terms of their advice we know we needed to look at this and have a discussion around the implications of the policy.”
At issue in the matter is the way TEAC judges fair market value for logs.
As of December, the commit-tee began looking at domestic offers for coastal logs that did not include the costs to ship the logs to the buyer. This represents a change from before, where the offer made for the logs had to include the cost of freight.
It means domestic offers can potentially be more competitive than before.
On Tuesday, NDP forest critic Norm Macdonald said the issue goes beyond the details of how to calculate market value, adding the key is all about jobs.
“You have manufacturers that are ready. You have Teal-Jones that has gone through the pro-cess. This is a company that produces jobs,” said Macdonald. “You have a host of companies that are ready, and these are the crumbs we’re talking about that go through this advisory committee. These are the crumbs, and even them – this minister will deny those mills.”
In 2011, British Columbia exported 5.87 million cubic metres of coastal raw logs. That was up from the 3.86 million cubic metres that were exported from the coast in 2010.
Read more: https://www.vancouversun.com/Liberals+ignoring+committee+exports/6298779/story.html#ixzz1p7mGGyHA
An Afternoon of BC’s Ancient Forests at UBC Slideshow Event
/in AnnouncementsThe UBC Ancient Forest Committee (AFC) is hosting an afternoon slideshow event on Thursday March 15th in the SUB Room 207/209. This is in conjunction with Student Environment Centre’s Responsible Consumption Week.
Thursday March 15th from 2:30-5pm “An Afternoon of BC’s Ancient Forest” Slideshow Events! Expand your knowledge and relationship with BC’s old-growth forests with these stunning photo and film adventures from two separate slideshows. These are the first public old-growth forest slideshow events to come to UBC in over 2 years! Help the UBC Ancient Forest Committee turn out a good crowd – invite your friends! Show your support and please help spread the word!!!
In SUB Room 207/209
Schedule
2:30 pm “Ecology and Politics of BC’s Ancient Forests: Avatar Grove, Cortes Island, Walbran Valley, Fangorn Forest, and much more…” presented by Ken Wu, the founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance.
3:45 pm “The Great Vancouver Forest” A film and photo documentation of the ancient rainforests of Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains. Presented by Ira Sutherland, UBC Forestry student and director of the UBC AFC.
Tree Huggers Ball Dance Party at UVic! (Saturday, Mar. 10th)
/in AnnouncementsThe 2012 Tree Huggers Ball – Dance Party Extravaganza is here! This is going to be another huge night of live music, DJ’s, dance-offs, limbo contests, prizes and as always, a great crew of folks! Come dressed in any forest themed attire you desire!
DATE: Saturday, March. 10th
TIME: 8pm – 1am
LOCATION: Felicita’s Pub @ UVic
TICKETS: $10 @ the UVSS booth in the SUB and at the door!
MUSIC FROM: The Stowaways! Compassion Gorilla! Benny The Jett! 5AM!
FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/380718538605237/
Through the last 2 events the UVic club has raised over $11,000 for the AFA making it nearly the largest contributor to the organization so far! So bring out your friends and get ready for an awesome time!
***********************************
★ COMPASSION GORILLA ★
Known for inciting dance parties in the street, where circus monkeys hang from streetlights and grizzly bears do cartwheels over cars, Compassion Gorilla takes the pulse and groove of an electronic dance party, and delivers it in an entirely live format. This 8-piece troupe of musical magicians packs a full-on festival presence and enwraps the audience in a spell of dance, magic and melody.www.compassiongorilla.com/
https://
If you feel like dancing, it’s The Stowaways prerogative: ripping fiddle tunes, mixed with high energy driving originals were the right medicine to get Raffi in the middle of the dance floor on Saltspring Island.pages/The-Stowaways/190331387687024?sk=wall
https://www.facebook.com/