Not to mention some of those companies who specialize in log exports who are a long way away from any sawmills also pay a substantially smaller stumpage, some as low as salvage rates, which are 25 cents/cubic meter. It pretty much stealing the wood from the BC people, all for thier profit, and very very little trickles back into the economy. Other than supplying a minimual amount of temporary jobs, it does absolutely nothing for the economy of BC.

Export of raw logs is a short term gain for long term pain policy. The levy on exported unprocessed logs needs to be set at a level that makes the lumber made from the logs more expensive than lumber bought from our mills.

The Forest Corporate Giants, the Provincial Governments and the Feds are complicit in the rape of the forest natural resources in this and other Provinces and Territories.

They have done everything to destroy the industry for smaller operators, and the Unionized and Independent workers.
Shipping raw logs to other countries and destroying the jobs of thousands of workers is in itself a crime against humanity.
There is no doubt in my mind that it is allowed because of the back room and under the table deals that are made by the bureaucrats, politicians and corporate executives who are in it purely for the greed principle.
Tens of thousands of homes and possessions have been lost to the working stiff so that someone on the higher levels of corporations and governments can feast on their cozy deals.
Likewise the Steel Workers Union is complicit as they have allowed this to happen no doubt because of the under the table philosophy of their leaders.
One has to only watch the Knowledge network production of Death in the Forest (as I have several times), to know that there is no respect for the working loggers who are their members.
The fact that the Steel workers Union has steadfastly refused to re:write their constitution to represent independent contract fallers is a case in point.

Again we have the Workers Compensation Board (Work Safe BC) dictating all the rules to the experienced fallers and workmen, rules made up by white shirts, many who have never cone beyond the perimeter of their own gardens let alone entered a living forest.

Do the Corporations, Politicians and Bureaucrats care about the biomass of the forest, or preserving the forest for future generations. Not a bloody chance, it is profit and greed for themselves today, and to hell with the future.

In the end the Steel Workers (should be steal workers) big wigs will sell out to the top dollar men in the National and Provincial Governments, and to the Corporate leaders, and there will be an increase in Raw Log Shipments.

There are 100 containers of raw logs going through the container port in Prince Rupert EVERY DAY. Something is sooo wrong with this picture.

Thank you Pat Bell for saving the 3 fallers jobs so we can export logs to out overseas "friends".

It works like this... if you want to live in Vancouver for example as a Canadian you have to first immigrate to China, join the communist party of China, get subsidized loans from the communist party bankers to use stolen trade secrets and technology to employ an army of Chinese slave wage workers and next to no environmental concerns to make millions on their slave labor... then export these low cost products to 'first world' countries like Canada duty free undermining the domestic suppliers for market share.. because 'cost' is everything... then take these millions in ill gotten gains and buy your way through Canadian immigration going to the front of the line.. so long as one has a million to invest... then buy the Canadians home in desirable places like Vancouver where money is no obstacle and realestate bubbles can grow with no end... then call yourself a Canadian citizen and vote to grow this racket so Canadian governments work for you, while the 'old' Canadians line up for soup kitchens wishing they too could afford to own a home.

Its called the Canadian way. A country of and for the banksters, and their cohorts of this world. The days of one working hard building up a nest egg through honest work that secures a nice retirement are now sentiments for the history books.

IMO unions like the Steelworkers are part and parcel of this sell out. They align themselves with the corporate interest and even worse the interest of public unions that see only government revenue subsidized from the future of private sector middle class workers... they enable through their political backing the very corrupted ideologues that have stolen the middle class Canadian dream from future generations... and they make a good living at it with a protected racket themselves.

If anyone was looking for an example of Xenophobia see the previous post.

No that is a cheep shot Hood. Its not about the people, but rather the system. A communist system that uses people as a cheep commodity and the environment as a subsidy to cheat us out of our homes, jobs, and eventually our very way of life.

It is not Xenophobia for a liberal to despise the conservative agenda any more than it is for a free enterprise Canadian to despise the commununist Chinese capitalism.

Xenophobia is a demonetization of a people based on physical racial characteristics, or unknown assumptions based on a lack of knowledge... it has nothing to do with sound economic or political realities.

To dismiss the argument with simpleton attacks from one who doesn't have the intellectual capacity to submit a valid counter argument based on facts. That is what one says when they resort to comments like yours.

If you love the communist Chinese system so much then that is your decision.

We need to increase the price on exported logs. We also need to increase the price on logs processed locally by the same amount. I dont see subsidizing Jimmy P and the USW as any better or worse than subsidizing overseas producers. The people of BC deserve more for our timber plain and simple.

Hood the best thing you can do is save yourself the time and effort of reading the post. There are plenty of people out their desperate for attention of their agendas. My free advice is do not give it too them. I can sum up every one of his posts "blame, blame, blame, big word, big word, blame, blame, bankster" (I bet that is shockingly close and i didnt evern read this post!!!). There are a broken record. Save yourself the effort.

We are (me included) are responsible for our own demise of living standards. We live far beyound our means.

forty years ago, we did not spend money on cable vision, video games, cell phone bills, annual trips to Mexico or warmer climates. The working man, all he wanted was roof over the families head, a bed for everyone and three meals a day. He did not have two/ three vehicles. One vehicle and parked out side.

We want everything, and everything now and pay later. We're really not as smart as we think we are. Me included.

I don't mind the Ministry getting only 25 cents, it may be should be a buck. But it gets the guys working, the mills pumping out the wood, and money moving around. Which is all good.

I think the report (2008) that is out there indicates that our timber supply is going to be reduced by 60% in twenty years. What are we doing about it now. Or are we going to do the samething about it as we did about the Pine beetle,.... Just talk about it.

the 25 cents/cubic meter is for wood that is going to asia, not many people are being employed by this. The timber broker is making $285.00/cubic meter and has a workforce of many 6 people. That is what will and is killing the forest industry.