Tony Luck

Fraser-Nicola MLA Tony Luck is outraged at the B.C. government’s delay in cutting permits from the Ministry of Forests. The local MLA issued an open letter to Forests Minister Ravi Parmar specifically for failing to issue cutting permits that forced the closure of Aspen Planers’ sawmill in Merritt recently. “When a sawmill shuts down,” Luck stated on Oct. 20. “The heart of a community stops beating. And it’s happening on this government’s watch.” Luck said that 200 people in Merritt are out of work with the mill shutting down, as are 68 more people from Lillooet. The plant in Savona – an unincorporated community near Kamloops Lake – has reduced from three shifts to two, cutting hours and pay, which Luck attributes to the Ministry of Forests’ slow action on cutting permits. …Luck demanded immediate action from the Ministry of Forests, including fast-tracking cutting permits, publishing clear deadlines and being accountable for backlogs.