Rob Botterell

“Talk and log” old growth, mill closures, drought, wildfires, lack of value-added products from second-growth forests and climate change have shaken the very foundations of the forest sector in our province. Key NDP forestry initiatives such as the Old Growth Strategic Review have stalled. Nor is the province any closer to protecting 30 per cent of the B.C. land base by 2030, implementing the biodiversity and ecosystem health framework, local watershed governance and a paradigm shift to a sustainable industry that protects workers and communities. Following the money tells the same story: the Ministry of Forests’ 2026 budget is $910 million, essentially unchanged from last year. No new money means no new effort to deliver on previous NDP forestry promises. …as the Green Caucus forests critic, I will continue to press for immediate implementation of the PFAC report, as well as full implementation of the Old Growth Strategic Review, 30X30, the biodiversity and ecosystem health framework, and local watershed governance.