2024 has been an interesting year on a number of fronts. More importantly, it marked BCFSC commemorating 20 years of service to the industry, where a number of Forest Safety News stories were shared over the course of the year through the lens of industry and staff reflecting on the forest industry’s journey to improving safety. The first theme shared in these stories related to acknowledging the history of the unacceptable number of injuries and work-related deaths. The second theme that emerged highlighted the efforts of industry pulling together to make dynamic and positive change.
These stories also highlighted that there were no easy solutions for improving industry’s safety performance. It came from leadership, the front lines and everywhere in between. It came from each one of you, starting with good safety management systems, good culture — trust, open communication, participative management — right through to training and supervision, supporting work practices and empowerment of workers and contractors. It required a commitment every day, on every block, with the felling of each tree to each load to every production and manufacturing process.
As we look forward to the next 20 years, it’s important that we reflect on our journey and not forget why and how we got here and celebrate what we’ve collectively accomplished. Every person in our industry has a role to play in achieving our collective mission and together, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of forestry workers across British Columbia.
The list of British Columbia forest product companies in financial trouble grows. San Industries and associated companies have 
Ever since it was barely re-elected, the BC NDP government has promised a renewed focus on growing the economy, creating jobs and generating new sources of revenue. So it is perhaps surprising to hear that since the election, no cabinet ministers, nor the premier himself, have responded to requests to sit down and hear out a series of increasingly urgent concerns from the province’s top business leaders. …None of the ministers responsible for economic growth have responded to a meeting request from the so-called “G7” of B.C.’s business community — [which includes]… the Council of Forest Industries. …The groups issued a letter calling on all parties to prioritize the “deeply concerning” deterioration of the B.C. economy. …“Forestry has shed over 10,000 direct jobs in just four years and hundreds of millions of dollars of lost investment.
After 14 years of dedicated leadership, Dr. Charles Jago is stepping down as Chair of the Sinclar Group Forest Products Board of Directors. …Charles is a long-serving community member of northern BC, providing leadership and valued guidance on the boards of several local institutions. He is a former President of the University of Northern British Columbia and the namesake of the Charles Jago Northern Sport Center. …On behalf of the Sinclar Board of Directors, I express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Charles Jago for his leadership and commitment to the success of our company. With Dr. Jago’s departure, I am pleased to introduce our new Board Chair, Betty Ann Shiels. Betty Ann is a long-time resident of Prince George. She obtained her B. Comm from the University of Alberta and began her career in Prince George with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells. She … was an Assurance and Advisory partner with Deloitte for 20 years…
The Truck Loggers Association (TLA) is an advocacy organization seeking a dynamic and visionary executive director to lead our organization in lobbying government for fair policies to meet the needs of our members. The executive director will play a key role in shaping the future of the association by effectively influencing policymakers, ensuring membership growth, and advancing the interests of forest dependent contractors, suppliers and communities who depend on a sustainable forest industry. The executive director is responsible for executing effective advocacy, delivering strategic leadership, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Truck Loggers Association including member services, communications, and financial management. This individual will work closely with the Board of Directors, staff, and key stakeholders to further the TLA’s mission and vision. This is a full-time permanent position. This is a remote-work position requiring regular travel to meetings and events throughout the province.
VANCOUVER — Western Forest Products announced that the Company and the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 (USW) have agreed to the terms of a tentative collective agreement. The USW represents approximately 1,000 Western employees. The tentative agreement is subject to a ratification vote by USW membership, which is expected to occur before the end of the year. The USW bargaining committee has advised that they will be recommending that its members accept this agreement. …Steven Hofer, President and CEO of Western Forest Products said, “A new collective agreement will provide critical business certainty to the Company as we look to accelerate the transition to higher value products through reinvestment in our operations. I want to thank the bargaining team members for their work to deliver a fair and balanced agreement.”
The live Christmas tree industry is experiencing a resurgence, but B.C. farmers are finding it hard to meet rising customer demand. In the last six years—more B.C. consumers have looked to purchase a live Christmas tree says BC Christmas Tree Association president Paul Huesken. The first reason is the experiential part of going out and cutting down a tree. …The second factor is consumers becoming more conscientious about their carbon footprints. …2024 has been one of the best growing seasons in the last decade due to summer rain. …Nevertheless, rising demand and a decline in farms due to land costs and succession challenges has created a significant shortage of trees in B.C. …Two of the most significant challenges facing businesses are the cost of land and the six to 10 years of intensive labour required to grow a Christmas tree … forcing BC to source roughly 400,000 trees annually from outside the province.
Executive Director’s Message: October was a significant month for Woodlots BC, marked by key accomplishments in strategic planning, conference organization, and internal organizational changes. Now that the restructuring has settled down the Board of Directors for Woodlots BC have started to meet on a quarterly basis. Most of the changes and restructuring have been completed. Strategic Plan: The organization started a Strategic Review of the Woodlots BC by meeting for two days before the Conference in Quesnel. This process was facilitated by Tom Lewis. We are currently creating 4 objectives that we will focus on over the next while in order to advocate for the Woodlot Licence program. Click the Read More below to see the full newsletter with Conference Coverage, Minister’s Award Recipient, Executive Director’s Report, Commercial Thinning and Moose, Woodlots BC Bursary Recipient, New Board Members, Four Steps to Burning, and CBST Guidelines.
A founding member of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has called on the green credentials body to “immediately terminate” sustainability certificates for Canada’s largest forestry company. The 
From December 2, 2024, to February 28, 2025, WorkSafeBC is accepting expressions of interest from providers seeking to offer training that requires approval by WorkSafeBC. We are now accepting expressions of interest for the following training: