Lots Of Money Around But Little For the Displaced Forest Worker

By Ben Meisner

What is so troubling about both the federal and provincial governments move in the collapse of the lumber industry in BC is the amount of help that is actually reaching the worker who is being displaced.

There are all sorts of plans in the works to change the economy, beetle round tables, various agencies, but what is available for the average worker?  So far the results being produced by the beetle coalition have been dismal at best.

Unless I have been reading from a different page, kindly show me where the man or woman being displaced in say for example Mackenzie, or Quesnel is being shown how to obtain extra financial help, be it EI, or any other program?

There are numerous examples of workers trying to branch into a different field , in some cases a business of their own only to be stymied in their efforts, by either a lack of knowledge of where to go to get through the hoops or a lack of information on how the system work.

Many of these people have worked for the same forest industry for the past 25 to 30 years, how can they be expected to know the ins and outs  of  what is available to help them  get on track?

Recently the United Steel Workers began a program of trying to help by hiring an employee to try and assist those in need of this type of help, but surely if the Union is being called upon to provide this type of assistance it would naturally follow that the government should be funding the program.

Last week government announced yet another grant towards a trade mission to China. The Chinese know where we are they also know when a mill has been forced to close. Just look around at who has been offering the fire sale prices.

Beyond those purchases, I for one must be in the dark in not knowing just what the successes have been in China with the numerous trade missions that have taken place.

I do know that we owe the Chinese a lot of money for the purchases we have made from them.

I also know that their lumber exports to this country have been increasing leaps and bounds and with that in mind it is hard to comprehend why we need to bring yet another trade mission on with a view to obtaining what?

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

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