B.C. Premier John Horgan visited Merritt on April 4 to discuss Merritt’s past, present and future.
by Dara Hill
Forestry has been a major player in Merritt’s economy for years, contributing a great deal of jobs and wealth in the region.
That’s not to say there haven’t been bumps along the way, such as Tolko’s Merritt mill closing down and the ongoing softwood lumber dispute with the Unites States. Nevertheless, Horgan stressed his faith that the industry will continue to play a crucial role in B.C. and in the Nicola Valley.
“Certainly the closure of the Tolko mill was a huge impact on Merritt and the whole region,” he said.
“Forestry is still critically important to the B.C. economy, in fact lumber prices are going up. We obviously had a bit of a blow with the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S., but we’ve been able to overcome that — largely because the prices are so high for our forest products right now — so that’s the good news,” he added.
Aspen Planers recently addressed Merritt city council, claiming they carry an unfair tax burden and may need to look for business elsewhere if tax rates continue to rise.
Horgan said that when companies like Aspen have issues, they need to bring them forward and discuss them candidly with the community and political leaders at the municipal and provincial level.
“The bad news is that Aspen may have issues with Mayor Menard and council and their local tax rates, but they also have issues with fibre supply and access to wood. Mr. Donaldson, minister responsible for forests, was in town recently talking to the mayor and talking to Aspen, and we’re firmly convinced that Aspen is going to be part of the Merritt community for the long-term,” Horgan said.
“I’m confident Aspen will continue to play an important role in the Merritt economy. But the community wants to know that the resources around the region are being developed in communities, rather than sent elsewhere,” he said.
“The consolidation of the industry is something that we need to be concerned about,” he added.
When asked about the tools the B.C. government is able and willing to use to help protect communities ensure they not only survive, but thrive, Horgan stressed it comes down to the interests of the community.
“It really comes down to social license,” he said.
“I think it’s the role of government to make sure the tenure holders, the companies that have been developing those assets for the province, also recognize they have a responsibility to the communities they operate in,” he said.
“That’s why there was such frustration from Tolko’s decision to depart. We can’t put the genie back in the bottle, but we can make sure the province uses the tools that they have to manage these public assets in the interests of the communities that they represent,” he added.
Members of the Merritt community have expressed concern in the past about lumber leaving the community, including Mayor Neil Menard.
“[That timber is] ours and we feel very strongly that it should be staying here,” Menard told the previous Minister of Forests Lands and Natural Resources Steve Thomson in 2017.
“I think that’s something that people understand. They understand the notion that logs and the forest resources in the community should be there to benefit that community,” Horgan said.
Menard suggested the government introduce a law to fix the problem.
“They need to come back with something in legislation that does not allow timber to leave this area that was feeding and producing lumber for our mills,” said Menard. “It goes back to the old adage; if it’s here, it should be produced here and it should be sold here as a finished product.”
Under the NDP government of the 1990s, mills were tied to local communities under a social contract called appurtenancy. The B.C. Liberals stripped those rules in 2003.
“The B.C. Liberals did away with it, that frees up tenure holders, people that we give license to manage our public forests, they’ve taken advantage of that and have moved their assets to other places. The logs, for example, going to Tolko were going to another Tolko facility somewhere else. That creates anxiety and frustration in communities,” said Horgan.
“I think it’s a public expectation. The notion that these public assets are somehow now the property of the companies to move at their will is not something that the public is comfortable with and I think the government needs to respond to that, and that’s what we intend to do,” he added.
