Letter to Local Liberal MLA

[elkoecho]

To: MLA Bill Bennett
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 12:17 AM
Subject: Lack of action...


Mr. Bennett,

It is with much disappointment that I read your response to my unemployed co-workers in terms of their concern for the future of their families and their livelihood when they ask you what, as their MLA of the sitting government, is going to do about it. All you can do is tell stories about the Liberal government's ability to put a fraction of the workforce to work doing over-due silviculture work wholly funded by the federal government.

There was a time that all of that kind of silviculture work - reforesting crown land burned out by forest fire or beetle kill - was public policy and the responsibility of the provincial government. That changed under your government in 2003. Now no one is responsible for reforestation of those lands, with perhaps the exception of a now-opportunistic government looking for some good publicity for a short-term project.

What, specifically, have you done in terms of 'finding work for laid off forest workers through the Job Opportunities Program' as you put it? An application is made through the Rocky Mountain Trench Society to the bureaucracy for these laid-off forestry workers that channels the funding from the Community Development Trust as they see fit. What, again specifically, has the Liberal government done to aid the ailing forest industry?

I sat in your office in Victoria on more than one occasion pleading with you and your government to take action, any action, to help the industry. That was on three occasions in 2006, 2007, 2008. The first one was over safety regulations in my industry - ones gutted by your government in 2002 - while the last two was over the industry's renewal during troubled times, a full 1-2 years ahead of the economic meltdown and the massive layoffs in the East Kootenays. (If you're keeping score, Galloway included, your riding is sitting at 1200 laid-off forest workers, not including the 300 or so that temporarily returned to work this week.)

Nothing, I repeat, nothing was done by the Provincial Government.

Your government could've given Tembec a break in stumpage costs during these troubled times - either by outright discount or by deferral - in order for them to remain competitive with the Northern companies that chew up cheap Beetle-Kill wood. But that would contravene the Softwood Lumber Agreement with the U.S., which now controls what our government does with a public resource. (We could get into that debate with many other resources - Run Of River/Water - but I'm not going there, at least not today). Perhaps then Tembec wouldn't be asking for 10% of my wage in order to maybe return to work.

As workers we used to be able to not worry about our logs, the public's resource, going elsewhere to be milled/sold. Tembec can now sell the logs they have sitting in the bush or in their yards to other mills to generate revenue/chips if they see fit, leaving the mill workers out of work.

So I ask again, what has your government done?

Bill, this message will go out to a portion of that laid-off workforce (about 120 workers from Elko) and I know they, along with myself, will eagerly await just what you as an MLA and your government, plan to do if you're re-elected. You alluded to a plan to get us back to work in your email to my co-worker. Please, we're all ears.

You mentioned more federal money coming into the program in the near future. Have you confirmed that? Because from what I'm told that Community Development Trust money is drying up, a victim of Federal cutbacks.

Don't take this personally - this is not an attack on your work ethic, it is well-known and I know first-hand the hours MLA's put in - but our industry has been left out in the cold to rot and die under your government. As taxpayers and as British Columbians, we deserve to know why and what you plan to do about it.

Union leaders, such as myself, aren't criticizing you or your government for taking money from the federal government and trying to help laid-off forest workers. What we are criticizing you for is your government's lack of action concerning the crisis in BC's biggest industry.

Jeff Bromley
Tembec Elko Plant Vice Chairperson
Tembec Elko Safety Committee Chair
USW 1-405 Third Vice-President

[fred]

so now what happening are they tembec starting up the sawmills or are they waiting to settle with the union boys?

[canal469]

Maybe an informational picket line should be set up in front of the MLA's office and one in front of the Tembec office..

[elkoecho]

Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 7:48 AM
Subject: Forest Workers


Hello Jeff,

I wondered how long it would take for you to write. I realize there is an election on and I know what side of it you are on. You and I have had a civil relationship in Victoria, even though you view the world differently than I do. I am hoping you will put forest workers ahead of partisan politics and forward this response to all your members.

First, there are many government policies that impact forest workers, aside from Ministry of Forest policies. Forest workers pay the lowest income tax in Canada because of our government. Yes, I know they are not working right now, but they will be working again, and hopefully soon. Forest workers and their families have considerably better healthcare today than when I was first elected, with our expanded regional hospital and 29 new speciaists. Forest workers' parents have two new state of the art seniors homes in Fernie and Cranbrook for their parents and grand parents because of our government. Forest workers and their families have more apprenticeship opportunities at our expanded college because of our govenrment. And forest workers and their families drive highways that are safer because of our government. So I would ask you, respectfully, not to tell forest workers that our government has done nothing for forest workers the past 8 years. You and I both know that is simply not true and if you say it, we both know you are saying it for purely partisan political reasons.

So Jeff, you want a response to your email. Here it is.

The JOP program was created by our government in response to what was happening in the PG area. No one, not the smartest expert in the world, predicted how bad the recession in the US would get. In response to that, we lobbied the federal government, who have been great, and got new money for the program. you are wrong that the program is just about out of money. It is not. And as for your comment that the program is strictly a bureaucratic process, you surely cannot be that naive. There is competition for that money and I make sure we in the East Kootenay get more than our share. Ask Dan Murphy. He will tell you. You are just wrong to suggest somehow our government and your MLA deserve no recognition for the JOP.

By the way, the "silviculture" work, as you call it, is actualy eco system restoration work. Your Kootenay East MLA had a provincial eco system program created in the Ministry of Forests after many years of lobbying. Your NDP MLA's for ten years did nothing for this effort in the Rocky Mountain Trench. I actually had a formal budgeted ER program set up for the whole province. Why do you not know about this? You call this "publicity"? Every conservatioin organization in BC is grateful we now have a formal ER program for restoring natural grasslands. And your very own sitting MLA made it happen.

"What, again specifically, has the Liberal government done to aid the ailing forest
industry", you ask. Well for starters, we have created a "wood first" policy in BC that requires wood be the material of choice for building public buildings in this province. Tembec is very excited about this program. It may be more long term, but we need to increase our per person "consumption" of wood in BC and in Canada. Along the same lines, we have changed our building code to permit six storey wood buildings in BC. We know that lumber prices are the lowest in decades and I know you realize we can't change that. But the only the BC forest industry is going to be successful in the future is to change the market, here domestically, and internationally. that's why we have been in China for several years developing that market. BC is now selling four times more wood to China than when we started over there. You can say that doesn't matter if you want, but it does matter. Part of BC long-time problem is our dependence on the US market.



We can agree to disagree on the Softwood Agreement, Jeff. If Tembec hadn't gotten their share of the $2 Billion back as a result of that agreement, they may well have gone down permanently. Every major forest company in BC asked us to support that agreement, so I'm sorry your union doesn't agree but the people who run the forest businesses wanted it and it was the right thing to do. Our industry would be in much worse shape today if it were still paying those deadly duties to the US. And trust me, I know personally how the US is to deal with. That's why I believe our work in Asia is so important.



As for log exports, I don't know why you guys always claim that is hurting things in the East Kootenay. You know it isn't. We export yellow pine logs because no one here wants them. Forest workers in the NW and on the coast are working on private land. Are you suggesting they should stand down and not work? The log export argument is a red herring and you know it. The NDP exported way more logs than are exported today. Exports have actually declined since 2006.



I won't give you all the detail from the Report by the Working Roundtable on Forestry because I know you have it already. But we both know there are some great ideas in that report and unions played an important role in the creation of the Report. Surely you approve of increased utilization of our forests, using wood waste as a fuel in growing our bioenergy sector. Surely you agree that having Chinese authorities change their building code to allow wood roof trusses is an important step?



I wish I had more time, Jeff, but I have to give a speech in 10 minutes and then head over to the Valley. I will say just one more thing. If I don't win this election, and I might not, forest workers will be a lot worse off without me around to work I disagree off for everyone in this riding. Politics, parties, leaders and ideologies aside, you know in your heart of heart that I am still the best choice for working families.



Take care and thanks for taking the time to write to me.



Bill

[elkoecho]

Mr. Bennett,

I’m always amazed how politicians take credit for doing their job. Yes, in the last eight years there have been great things like seniors homes, updating a deadly corner built in the 1960’s, an updated hospital etc. Those are things that a government is supposed to do. Not only did you do those things for forest workers but you did them for all the taxpayers of this region. Though, I’m sure my aging parents, who live in Kimberley and are now served by a regional hospital that is just about 30 minutes away instead of five, might disagree. Yes, taxes are somewhat smaller in BC but ultimately those costs are still there and now they’re just downloaded somewhere else (municipal, regional, personal costs).

Your government has done a lot of dumb things too – selling BC Rail (shhh, it’s before the courts and we’re not supposed to talk about that but somehow a billion for us turned into half-a-billion for CN still on the books), Run of River power projects for private gain – though the previous government did that too but on a somewhat smaller scale -, a Carbon Tax that will put $2.3 Billion into government coffers but just download more costs onto the taxpayer for those of us who live in the sticks. That last time I looked our transit system doesn’t run out to Elko. (oh, we could go a long time on that one). A Vancouver convention centre that doubled in cost to the tune of $400,000,000; skyrocketing Olympic costs and nobody seems to be talking about the arrogantly-huge raises the Premier (54%) gave himself, the MLA’s (all of them – 29%) and the bureaucratic boost to the deputy ministers (43%) and then people scream when Tembec workers don’t take a 10% paycut and still don’t get to got to work. Of course we could talk about ripping up negotiated contracts for government workers (Bill 29) – a move that actually cost the taxpayers of the province $75 million – but you see how redundant this gets.

To be fair, the previous regime also did some dumb stuff – yes, ferries, backyard decks and bingo/lotteries weren’t exactly highlights now were they.

But like yourself, I digress (see how annoying that is? That’s what the Legislature sounds like to the taxpayers in question period). This conversation was about forestry and getting people back to work.

As much as I admire politicians I sometimes wonder why anybody would want to be one. How is it that someone that claims to be so full of creativity is then stymied, obstructed or downright forbidden to do what’s right for the good of the people but instead does it for the party. Or at least that's what it looks like from here.

My questions were aimed at your government, not you, personally. You’ve done some good things for our region but your government – cowtowing to what the industry said it needed, which was more to my point, has done little in the way of ensuring one of BC’s most important industries stays viable. (Mackenzie, anyone?) Don’t believe me? With over 1400 direct forestry jobs laid-off and roughly 1100 of them not going back to work anytime soon here in the valley, we’re not that far from Mackenzie situation. Ask anyone of the small to medium businesses you champion over our cause. The trucks, quads, sleds, along with almost any other discretionary spending item isn’t being bought this year.

A little research will find that since 2001 raw log exports have increased by almost 60% on both private and public lands. And no, it’s not an East Kootenay issue, at least not yet. It’s a coastal issue for the most part but it’s contributed to the decimation of the wood manufacturing industry there and you know that. It’s a slippery slope when hard times hit and I’ve heard it straight from Dennis Rounsville’s mouth that if they have to Tembec will consider selling raw logs to either chip or receive chips to run the pulp mill if they have to. So to say that it’s not an issue here isn’t true.

And yes, the bureaucrats at the Ministry of Labour along with MLA’s like yourselves jumped on the available money through the Community Development Trust and did something with it. So you should. My criticism is that the provincial government doesn’t want to do anything of its accord. (READ: match the funds).

You mention the college and the trades training, which is great, except industry cannot afford to train the desperately-needed tradesmen and instead rely on raiding other industries. It’s Catch-22. Trades are needed; colleges provide training but industry cannot afford to provide the hours of training needed to fulfill the void. Want to make an impact? Then work with industry to help subsidize apprenticeship training. That way the industry gets their tradesmen, the workers get opportunity to better themselves without having to lose time or money that pays the bills and the government gets to fully utilize the shiny new facilities.

And of course things like China matter but those markets don’t happen over night. In 2-5 years when those markets maybe materialize this industry will be dead and the workers gone.

The ‘wood-first’ initiative? Great, call-me when it gets rolling. Successive governments (yours, NDP, Socreds) have all come up with different versions of this program and it’s worked to varying degrees of success but it’s far from the only action needed to help this industry.

And the Roundtable report? Please, spare me. The document is chock-full of ‘shoulds’ instead of ‘will’ and while there are some good ideas in the document there are no concrete commitments. And when I, along with more of my worker brethren, wanted to present ideas to the roundtable here in Cranbrook it was here and gone with only exclusive invites to the meeting and no advance notification so that I, or anyone else besides Tembec and a few contractors for that matter, could make a presentation.

And therein lies the problem. The Liberal government listens to one side of the equation (uh, industry, business) and no one else. Don’t get me wrong, I along with every other co-worker knows what makes the world go round but when you give too much control over a public resource to the entity that has to answer only to its shareholders and not the public interest, they naturally become misguided and one-sided. It’s called greed.
That’s where the problem with the Liberal government is today. Too much big business and not enough for the working-class minions who make the wheels turn. No balance.

Oh, and again, if you’re working on something that will help, why wouldn’t you be screaming from the top of Baker Mountain to tell us what it is? Things are getting pretty desperate so I’d imagine we’d listen intently.

Finally, as to partisan politicking as you put it, I cannot tell my members which way to vote. That’s their Charter-given right and I hope they exercise it. I can however encourage them to vote and vote based on their own principles because ultimately they’ll decide what’s right. And I doubt they’ll base it on any Liberal or union rhetoric.

Jeff Bromley
Tembec Elko Plant Vice Chair
Tembec Elko Safety Comm Chair
USW 1-405 Third Vice-President