POLITICS – Stamer says NDP review confirms worst fears about forestry

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer says the final report from the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council confirms the worst fears of forestry workers and communities: “instead of addressing the real issues driving mill closures and job losses, the NDP has produced a report that ignores industry realities and doubles down on governance restructuring.”

Stamer, the BC Conservative critic for forests,  said today (Feb. 2, 2026) that despite years of warnings from forestry workers, contractors, and industry organizations about permitting delays, regulatory costs, fibre access, and the failure of BC Timber Sales, the PFAC report offers no urgency, no timelines, and no concrete action to stop the ongoing decline of the sector.

“This report completely shatters any remaining hope that the government is serious about saving forestry,” said Stamer. “We didn’t need another study to tell us what industry has been saying for years. While mills close and workers lose their livelihoods, the NDP is focused on reshaping governance instead of fixing the system.”

Stamer said the report’s core recommendations emphasize new structures, additional oversight bodies, and long-term frameworks, while largely ignoring the immediate barriers preventing wood from getting to market.

“Instead of streamlining permits or cutting red tape, this report actually recommends creating yet another oversight body,” Stamer said. “It barely addresses regulation or permitting in any meaningful way. That tells forestry workers exactly where they stand.”

Scott McInnis, Conservative critic for indigenous relations, raised concerns about the expansion of co-governance over Crown land under DRIPA without clear public disclosure or democratic mandate.

“British Columbians were never told that Crown land would be governed through new co-governance structures developed behind closed doors,” said McInnis. “If the government intends to fundamentally change how Crown land is governed under DRIPA, it owes the public transparency about what’s being negotiated, who is making decisions, and what authority is being transferred.”

McInnis pointed to agreements such as the Wet’suwet’en Tenure Opportunity Agreement as examples of major Crown land governance decisions being advanced without clear public explanation of their scope, authority, or economic impact.

“Reconciliation cannot succeed without transparency or public understanding,” he said. “Major changes to Crown land governance require honesty, accountability, and public trust and not quiet implementation.”

Stamer said without immediate action to address fibre access, permit delays, and cost pressures, the PFAC report will simply sit on a shelf while forestry communities continue to lose jobs.

“Forestry workers can’t wait through another round of reports,” said Stamer. “Without immediate action to address fibre access, permit delays, and cost pressures, the NDP is entrenching a DRIPA-driven approach that risks pushing forestry in British Columbia toward zero. This government is showing British Columbians that the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many.”