Ward Stamer

Brian Menzies

KAMLOOPS — The BC NDP announced legislative changes [to] expand timber sales and increase harvest volumes. …if approved, is anticipated to increase B.C.’s fibre supply by as much as 800,000 cubic metres. …Forests Critic Ward Stamer noted 800,000 cubic metres doesn’t equate to much overall, and questioned why the changes aren’t being done through regulation and policy. “…that means there is something else in here that they are either not telling us about or there is a dramatic shift in what the organization is actually supposed to accomplish…” said the Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Stamer. …“Our members … purchase fibre from the open market,” said Brian Menzies, executive director of the Independent Wood Processors Association. “These changes will enhance access to market-priced wood fibre, foster innovation and support well-paying jobs – and represent an important first step in implementing BCTS review recommendations to boost value-added manufacturing in British Columbia.”