Two B.C. First Nation chiefs are blaming the provincial government’s slow process for granting timber harvesting permits, which is causing unnecessary delays that they say are killing the province’s forest industry.
Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dollen Logan and George Lampreau, chief of the Simpcw First Nation near Barriere gathered in front of the media Friday morning in Lheidli T’enneh’s downtown Prince George boardroom to chastise the government for delaying forestry permit approvals, which they see as a contributing factor forcing companies to close the mills that are the lifeblood of the province’s economy.
In an industry also struggling with higher costs of harvesting, hauling and lumber production, the chiefs want the province to give first nations more of a say in determining when, where and how much they can cut down trees and make that happen quickly.
“We should be the ones doing the permitting, not the government. Put us in charge of permitting, put in charge of talking care of our lands, as we have been doing for over 10,000 years,” Logan said.
“They didn’t come to us about permitting. They didn’t talk to us in here the North about old growth. They’re focusing on Vancouver and Victoria and the nations down there. Up here we have no say, which is totally wrong. This is forestry country, which it has been forever, and we should have a say.
“Mills are shutting down and we need to find an economy, which is forestry, to keep the North going,” she said.
The two chiefs were part of what Logan deemed “a historic meeting” Thursday afternoon attended by Prince George Mayor Simon Yu, McBride Mayor Eugene Runtz, Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson, and representatives of some of B.C.’s largest wood product producers, including Canfor, Carrier Lumber, Sinclar Group Forest Products, Dunkley Lumber, and West Fraser Timber. Lampreau said they were united in calling for the government to fix a broken system.
“This is a common concern and we’re all dealing with this, the collapse of the forest industry and where it’s going,” said Lampreau. “Our towns and communities rely on the forest industry, for a lot of years now it’s been the Number 1 driving economy in B.C., but due to the various government policies over the years, it’s got to a point where we as first nations need to step in and start exercising our right to manage our territories and be involved in decision making.
“We’re still stuck under the thumb of government and having them hide behind their policies that have kept us as first nations from participating in decision making and truly benefiting the economy.”
Lampreau doesn’t blame companies like Canfor for pulling back on its B.C. operations in recent moves like the permanent closure of Polar Sawmill at Bear Lake and the shutdown of half the pulp production and its Prince George Pulp and Paper Mill. Those cutbacks and closures have resulted in the loss of at least 700 directly-related forestry jobs in the region just this year and he says there could be more bad news on the horizon unless the government decides to act quickly to relax its grip on forest permitting.
“We’re trying to create certainty for this industry, but we can’t because we’re still trying to get our foot in the door and crack it open so we can have our say,” Lampreau said.
“The government says they’re doing lots to modernize the forest industry; I haven’t seen it. I haven’t seen anything that benefits us as a first nation in a meaningful way. Policy is choking out the forest industry. The government’s lack of permitting is creating uncertainty and the industry is unstable, the industry is close to a collapse within B.C.
“This one-size-fits-all approach from Victoria spread out to the province has to stop. The government has to realize there’s life beyond Hope.”
The direct result of people losing their jobs in places like Fraser Lake, where West Fraser closed its sawmill this spring, is those workers have no choice but to leave the region to find jobs elsewhere, and Lampreau says he heard a few of those stories at Thursday’s meeting.
“Kids were crying because their families had to leave because of the forest jobs they lost,” said Lampreau. “Their lifelong friends are gone, and that’s due to the government and when you mention that to the government, ‘Oh well.’ That’s not a response we want to hear.”
B.C. is now recognized as the highest cost producer of lumber in North America and mills all over the province have either closed or curtailed operations due to what they say is the lack of economic fibre.
But that does not mean there’s a shortage of trees. Logan said a Google Earth flyover of the forests of Lheidli territory will confirm that.
Logan said one permit application sent to the province by Lheidli T’enneh logging company LTN Contracting was filed 92 days ago and they are still waiting.
She said a court case has made the NDP government reluctant to issue permits to First Nations in their traditional territories.
In October, West Moberly First Nations filed a B.C. Supreme Court petition to protect the Anzac and Table River area from logging proposed by Canfor, claiming it infringes on Treaty 8 rights and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). West Moberly is challenging a logging and road permit amendment that will clearcut a section of old growth forest near Chetwynd.
“This government is scared to let us have permits because they think we’re all going to take them to court,” said Logan. “That small permit has blown into this huge legal battle. That’s not our territory, and they’re holding up our permit.”
Both chiefs acknowledged there has been substantial progress made in recent years with the provincial government and BC First Nations coming to agreements to sort out some of the challenges and opportunities in their territories. They remain hopeful that going public with their concerns will bring about the changes they seek in forestry policy.
Thursday’s meeting was initiated by the forestry companies handcuffed by the same policies and Lampreau says they want work with Indigenous territorial rights holders and their people to create a healthy forest industry.
“Industry sees the writing on the wall… they realize they need to work with us as First Nations, as title holders, the whole narrative has changed,” said Lampreau.
“Industry wanted us to get together and support them which we do, because we see the value of those good-paying jobs and we want them to stay here in the North, in the Robson, in the North Thompson. Government’s policies have done nothing but devastate the industry – Barriere, Clearwater, Valemount, McBride –every mill shut down in those towns and the job losses were astronomical.
“Collaboration, partnerships and working together will bring stability to the industry,” he said. “There’s power in numbers, so the collective voice should get some attention. If not, Chief Logan and I will be starting to bang on doors for ministers to get the attention we need.”
