Environmental group joins forestry union to demand action

A B.C. environmental group is joining forces with its traditional foes — forestry workers — to demand action by the province to aid the faltering forest industry.

The Western Canada Wilderness Committee said Wednesday it supports the United Steelworkers' 10-point plan to sustain forestry jobs in B.C. and urges the province to adopt the plan.

The committee's Ken Wu said the plan includes many progressive ideas, including government investment in sawmills and an end to shipping raw logs to the U.S. and Asia for processing, that when coupled with stronger environmental laws would take the province down a more sustainable path for both the environment and forest industry workers.

Steelworkers spokesman Scott Lunny said the two groups may not agree on everything, but any help in protecting jobs is welcome in these desperate times.

Since January 2007, more than 12,000 forestry jobs have been lost in the province as mills have closed and logging operations shut down, Wu said.

The environmental group will work with the union to put forestry issues at the fore between now and the next provincial election, in May 2009, said Wu.