Prince George, B.C. – Minister of Forests and Range, Pat Bell, says the  Wood Innovations and Design Centre for Prince George  announced in today's Throne Speech, will be significant. “This is an opportunity to bring together architects, engineers  and designers, right through to the  artisans to come up with ways to get more value from wood.” Bell says B.C. may have the most efficient mills, but the lowest ratio of value to cubic metre in the country. “This will hopefully create opportunities to sell more wood products within B.C.” Further details on the Wood Innovation and Design Centre will be revealed tomorrow in the Provincial budget and in the weeks to come.

The Speech from the Throne also promised a major push into the Chinese market, a move Bell welcomes “There is no surprise here really, we will be increasing the budget significantly to grow opportunities for forest exports. The budget this past year was $4 million, I think you will see it increased significantly.”

The Premier had recently announced the Province was going to press to have wood used as the primary building material wherever possible in public buildings, Bell is pleased the Throne Speech shows the Province will take it one step further “That ‘wood first’ attidue will be legislated to show this Province's commitment to the  forest industry."

Bell is also pleased to hear the construction of the Cariboo Connector will be accelerated, and that there will be improvements made to highway 97, especially through the Pine Pass. “We have heard from Prince George manufacturers that they can make the types of things needed in the oil patch, but transporting the equipment and oversized machinery through the Pine Pass has cost them business. So rather than have that business go elsewhere, we are going to make some improvements to that stretch of roadway.”

The Provincial budget, which will detail these programs and others, will be delivered tomorrow.