BC’s Forests Minister Ravi Parmar is excited to launch a review of BC Timber Sales. (BCTS)
The review was announced this morning (Wednesday), and will provide a number of recommendations, such as how BCTS can create growth in the sector, provide predictable and reliable market access to fibre, and diversify access to fibre for the manufacturing sector.
“I’m really excited to be able to launch that review, it’s a huge opportunity for us to use BCTS, BC Timber Sales, an organization that’s been around for a long time and look to the future,” Parmar said.
“If there’s something I’ve learned over the course of the last number of months since I took on the role of BC’s Minister of Forests, is that we can’t think in four-year cycles.”
Parmar added what he’s learned from communities in his home riding of Langford-Highlands is to think seven generations ahead.
“It’s time government does so as well, and through BC Timber Sales, the ability to be able to bring Brian Frenkel, who understands the North and this region, Lenny Joe, who understands the ability to bring Nations as part of this conversation and our commitments to the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and for me personally, George Abbot has been a hero of mine for a long time, I used to lobby him as a kid in high school for new schools, and so when I reached out to him for his support, he was resounding in his yes,” Parmar said.
“This is going to be an exciting opportunity, we’ve got several points we’re going to be looking at, making sure that we’re going to be implementing more silviculture and sustainable practices through BCTS, making sure that we are taking the opportunity to ensure that more logs are being processed locally, creating more jobs and opportunities for jobs and contractors.”
Parmar added he thinks BCTS can play a role as major licensee in the province, and through the review, grow BCTS.
“I don’t want to pre-dispose my colleagues that make up the task force, and the work that’s going to be happening with the sector on that,” he said.
“But I think as you’ll see in the terms of reference for the review, a lot of things are on the table and really the clear message that I’ve asked of the expert task force, and I’ve asked of the sector as well, now is the time to be bold, and I’d like to think that not only launching this review, but also on day one of this review, saying we’re going to double category four of value added from ten to 20 per cent, making sure that there’s over a million cubic metres dedicated towards value added manufacturers, I’d like to think that’s being bold.”
Parmar said Premier David Eby has tasked him with growing the value-added sector, and doubling the BCTS volume dedicated to value-added manufacturers is a key commitment of that.
“It’s something that Premier Horgan used to say all the time when he was at [the BC Natural Resources forum], is we need to take advantage of making sure that we’re getting the most out of the logs that we have here in BC.”
During the first few months of his time as the Forests Minister, Parmar has also been travelling to communities impacted by mill closures and curtailments, listening to concerns from residents.
He said last week he took questions from a school theatre full of 300 people in Vanderhoof, giving them the opportunity to grill him on forestry issues.
“I enjoyed the conversation, I addressed a lot of misinformation that was out there, and I also took the opportunity to be able to let that community know that I’m not just going to come in once, and say see you later, I’m going to see that community over and over again,” he said.
“In the last two months I’ve visited Vanderhoof twice, that community has gone through a lot these past number of weeks and months, and so it’s my commitment and the commitment of my ministry to ensure that we’re supporting people on the ground. It’s why we’ve asked a leader in that community like Brian Frenkel to be a part of that, but it’s no different in Fraser Lake or Houston, I’ve enjoyed the conversations and I’ve made a commitment to those Mayors and I’m going to keep coming back and they’re going to get sick and tired of seeing me in their communities.”
He added he is concerned about the possibility of more mill closures in the future.
“We want to ensure that there’s opportunities in these communities, that’s why I was in Vanderhoof, meeting with the Mayor and Council, participating in a public town hall, they lost a lot of jobs last year, and it’s my commitment to them to work together to create opportunities into the future,” Parmar said.
“We know that 2025 is going to be a tough year for the forest sector, much of that has to do with softwood lumber duties going up and whatever this Trump tariff looks like, but this is an opportunity for the sector to come together and for us to be bold, and I’m looking forward to doing that work.”
Parmar added his three priorities in taking on the role are restoring confidence in the forest sector, standing up for workers and protecting communities, and ensuring they’re honoring their commitments to biodiversity and reconciliation.
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