Preventing Privatization

Who benefits from the Campbell government's forestry schemes? A few logging corporations.

Who loses? All British Columbians.

In 2003 the liberal government brought in the Forest Revitalization Act. This government legislation includes a series of changes that make existing public forest tenures more like private property.  For example:

• Corporations now determine who controls public lands. They are allowed to sub-divide and sell tenure, and these decisions are not subject to public approval.
• Corporations are now in charge of virtually all forestry planning – even setting their own results.
• Corporations are allowed to close mills and lay off workers, yet maintain near-monopoly control over public forests.

All this AND government has given $200,000,000 (check this stat) in cash compensation to logging corporations, for loss of public land tenure due to the 20% take back.

For details on the impacts and implications of the Forest Revitalization Plan click here.

The government rhetoric was that these changes would "create more jobs and spin-off benefits for communities,” but continually privatization schemes have only lead to job loss and industry downturns.

As many predicted, mergers, takeovers and mill closers accelerated under the Liberal scheme, resulting in fewer and fewer companies exerting more control over our public forests. Some examples:

• The Canfor–Slocan merger produced a mega corporation controlling almost 23% of BC's wood and up to 85% in some regions.
• West Fraser's takeover of Weldwood gives them control of over 66% of the wood in some districts and over 10% of all logging in BC.