Premier David Eby is expected to be in Prince George Friday to talk about the future of forestry.
The final day of the Council of Forest Industries (COFI) convention in Prince George will open at 8:15 a.m. Friday, April 4 with a keynote address from former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber.
That will be followed by a panel on integrated solutions to wildfire, conservation, community safety, and economic development.
The session will feature Ward Stamer, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, Klay Tindall of Lil’Wat Forestry Ventures and James Whitehead from SFU’s Wosk Centre for Dialogue, with Zara Rabinovitch of COFI moderating.
At 9:15 a.m., a second panel, The Elephant in the Room: Let’s Talk About Fibre, will delve into the critical issue of fibre availability in the province. Panelists include former BC cabinet minister George Abbott, David Elstone of Spar Tree Group, Jennifer Gunter of the BC Community Forest Association and Nick Arkle of Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd. The discussion will be moderated by Michael Armstrong, COFI’s vice-president and chief forester.
The day’s program will also feature an address from Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar and a panel on Calm, Cool & Collaborative: Leadership in Turbulent Times at 10:45 a.m.
That panel will include Parmar, Chief Coun. John Jack of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, Juan Carlos Bueno of Mercer International and Vancouver Coun. Lisa Dominato.
The convention will end with Eby's speech and a program summary Kim Haakstad, COFI’s president and CEO.
Eby had been listed as "invited" on the program. He told a CBC reported Thursday that he would be attending the COFI event.
