NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT NEEDED IN OUR FORESTS

The BCGEU is part of the Forest Solutions for Sustainable Communities Coalition. Consistent with our Convention policy our efforts are directed at achieving sustainable forest practices with effective public oversight.

In the current context of de-regulation, corporate concentration, supermills that do not employ very many workers, the massive export of raw logs that employ workers in other countries, and the looming catastrophe of climate change, sustainable forestry is critical to both the future of our life support systems - clean air, clean water, healthy soils, functioning ecosystems and biodiverity - and to the future of our communities.

To that end we are party to citizens' legislation that proposes more local self-determination in BC communities - communities where important decisions affecting people's lives are currently made in corporate boardrooms far from home. New decision-making models proposed are designed to reconcile Crown and Aboriginal Title and jurisdiction.

Our citizen's legislation would establish regional log markets to provide a secure and steady supply to local mills and ensure that companies pay full value for public and indigenous forest resources. Combined these proposals will minimize impacts on existing workers and enhance local employment - keeping jobs in BC communities.

This is a vision of a new social contract in our forests at a time when the BC government is simply ripping up the old one.