Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer criticized the recent announcement that Rick Doman has been appointed the new Forestry Innovation Investment Board chair.
“British Columbians don’t need another announcement; they need results,” said Stamer in his capacity as the Official Opposition Caucus Shadow Minister for Forests, in a news release.
As a Crown agency, the FII is B.C.’s market development agency for forest products.
It was established in 2003 to help develop and diversify markets for B.C. forest products.
Stamer said while Doman has decades of industry experience, the appointment "does nothing to fix the deep-rooted crises the sector faces, such as mill closures, slumping harvest volumes, regulatory paralysis, and the steady erosion of family-supporting forestry jobs."
Suggesting the government is merely “shuffling chairs on the Titanic,” Stamer noted even the best board chair won’t fix a broken system without political will.
“Communities are desperate for action; instead, we get another NDP press release while sawmills close and workers are forced to leave their hometowns.”
In announcing the appointment, a Ministry of Forests news release said Doman has more than 40 years of experience in Canada’s forestry industry, starting out in his family’s lumber operation, moving up to manage the sawmill, logging and pulp operations, said a news release from the Ministry of Forests.
Doman founded EACOM Timber Corporation and, in 2021, co-founded GreenFirst Forest Products, West Kitikmeot Resources and Boreal Carbon Corporation.
Additionally, the BC Conservatives Caucus said it is calling on the NDP government to deliver the "long-promised" review of BC Timber Sales (BCTS), provide a concrete update on the Forestry Advisory Council’s work, clear permitting backlogs and stabilize timber supply for mills, and present a real plan to protect forestry jobs and stop the bleeding in forestry communities.
The Ministry of Forests told the North Thompson Star Journal in an emailed response that the ministry will be releasing more details in the coming weeks about the BC Timber Sales review.
“We have received the report from the BC Timber Sales Task Force and are reviewing recommendations. I want to express my thanks to the task force; we’ve had over 300 submissions.”
Forests Minister Ravi Parmar also sent an email statement noting B.C. is the second-largest exporter of softwood lumber in the world.
“That’s a testament to the strength, resilience and innovation of forestry workers and communities,” Parmar noted. “Our forests power our economy, support tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, and provide the sustainable wood products needed to build homes, schools, and infrastructure here at home and around the world.”
Parmar said “unfair” and rising softwood lumber duties, shifting market conditions and the lasting impact of wildfires, the end of the Mountain Pine Beetle crisis and impacts of climate change are creating real challenges.
“That’s why I’m focused on protecting jobs, supporting communities, and ensuring long-term sustainability. I’m working every day with First Nations, industry, and the entire sector to build a forestry future that delivers for people, protects our forests, and drives economic prosperity for generations to come.”
Stamer said forestry built the province.
“It deserves better than endless delays and empty announcements. The NDP has to stop governing by press release and start delivering the results they promised.”
