Kootenay East NDP Candidate Norma Blissett pleased with NDP Five-Point Forestry Plan

Blissett speaking at a recent Pulp and Paper
 Workers'  Convention in Cranbrook

Kootenay East NDP candidate Norma Blissett has high praise for leader Adrian Dix’s announcement Monday that an NDP government would invest money in the forests of BC.

“As a former forester, I am happy to see my party presenting a five-point plan to revitalize the forest industry in B.C.  It’s beyond time for  investment in our forests to happen,” said Blissett.

The plan will:

- invest in skills training to address the critical shortage of skilled workers in the forest sector as part of a broader skills training plan.

- implement a five-year forest health plan that will increase funding by $400 million over the next five years.

- provide support for industry-led efforts to identify new global markets and grow forest product exports.

- use BC logs to create BC jobs.  We will work with stakeholders to reduce raw log exports and create more value-added forestry jobs in BC.

- establish a Jobs Protection Commissioner to support communities in transition due to the impacts of the pine beetle infestation. 

“BC’s forests represent a trillion-dollar asset that has been badly mismanaged by the BC Liberals for more than a decade,” said Blissett. “The volume of raw logs exported has doubled since 2009, and since 2001 the BC Forest Service has been cut by over 1000 positions—one quarter of its workforce—meaning fewer boots on the ground to manage BC’s greatest resource.”

Norma Blissett speaking to Pulp and Paper Workers

For more information, contact Norma Blissett:  250-489-3408.