Bell Opens Western Silviculture AGM With $550K Announcement
Kamloops, BC – The Minister of Jobs, Tourism, and Innovation has opened the Western Silvicultural Contractors’ Association annual general meeting with a $550-thousand dollar investment to help the industry recruit and retain new workers.
Speaking at the AGM in Kamloops, Bell says the three-year investment – through the Canada-BC Labour Market Development Agreement – will help the association develop a human resource strategy to meet the challenge of a changing labour market.
The silviculture sector involves forestry-related jobs that include: tree-planting; survey work; plantation brushing, spacing, and weeding; ecosytem restoration; and wildfire fighting. Bells says, for the first time, the industry is experiencing a workforce shortage and the industry as a whole and individual employers have not yet developed overall human resources programs to deal with this threat.
WSCA President, John Lawrence, says, "Silviculture activities are physically and technically demanding, as well as highly seasonal, and this presents special challenges for both employers and employees."
He says, "This funding from government will support a better understanding and implementation of the uniquely appropriate tools and strategies for the continued recruitment and retention of this vital component of the provincial workforce."
Comments
Bong…bong….bong…Can’t keep them damn Bell’s from ringing in my head…..
It’s all good Pat, the taxpayers of BC have deeeeep pockets. We don’t mind handing over $550.000.00 to forestry companies. It just allows them to show a net gain of $550.000.00 in their own bank accounts at the end of the day.
Pretty sad when the taxpayer has to fund private business’s hiring programs.
Even sadder that the taxpayer stands there and allows it!
Giving money out for this kind of “Canada-BC Labour Market Development Agreement” again.
The tax payers have already been there and done that…more than once for the forestry industry – enough is enough. Is there actually an election around the corner?
Dragonmaster – problem is we can’t stop it!
Unless you know something the rest of us don’t.;)
No amount of government money is going to help the situation when local silvicultural contractors pay their employees $80 to $120 day and expect a stable workforce. Let market forces work. If they pay well enough, they will find the workers.
I think it,s time to let politicians know that headlines with big $$ signs don,t impress people, unless it has a chance of getting value for the dollars spend. students complaining about high tuition would be a place to find the workers needed, alot of them do already, it works out good time wise.
Maybe if companies provided the basic employments standards to silvicultural workers as the do to the rest of the forestry industry, therte wouldn’t be a problem. Treeplanters have long had to put in unpaid hours, unpaid overtime, unpaid travel, unpaid injury compensation, on top of having to pay for their workplace accomodations and receiving no guarantee of income other than minimum wage. It’s no wonder the planters are calling it quits and heading to the oil and gas fields. They are tired of fighting over the scraps left at the bottom of the broken forestry industry.
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