VANDERHOOF, B.C. — British Columbia Conservatives are promising changes they say will bring more “stability” to the province’s struggling forestry industry.

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad announced his plan for the sector a week before the official launch of the provincial election campaign, saying a Conservative government would do away with stumpage fees paid when timber is harvested and instead put a tax on the final products that are produced.

Rustad is promising to streamline the permit process and review both what he calls the province’s “uncompetitive cost structure” and how wildfires are managed.

Rustad says all the changes are in the name of bringing “stability” and “hope” to the industry that has seen multiple closures of mills in rural communities over the last several years.

Most recently, Canfor Corp. decided to shutter two northern British Columbia sawmills earlier this month, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed.

At the time, Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said the sector was a “foundational part” of the province and the current NDP government would work to support both local jobs and wood manufacturing operations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024

The Canadian Press