Forestry workers fight back
The sign outside the Northumberland Woodlot Owners Association offices says "we're growing," but the cuts to the province's silviculture program in the 2008-2009 budget have forestry workers wondering if that's still true.
Several dozen woodlot owners crammed into a meeting Monday morning to voice their concerns to area MLAs Carmel Robichaud, John Foran and Rick Brewer, ahead of a planned rally at the Rexton constituency office of Premier Shawn Graham.
Jean-Guy Comeau, president of the Northumberland Forest Products Marketing Board, said the funding cuts threatened not just the livelihoods of woodlot owners, but also their way of life.
"It's about community, its about survival," he told the MLAs in attendence, as the assembled woodlot owners murmured their agreement.
"It's about the rural community. It's more than just the $4 million."
Under the new budget, the province's silviculture program is cut from $8 million to $4 million, and the cost allocation ratio slashed from 80/20 in favour of woodlot owners to an even 50/50.
Southwest Miramichi MLA Rick Brewer asked the woodlot owners to come to him to discuss alternatives, and suggested that they might have other work over the summer, but Comeau dismissed the idea.
"We've been diversified into other sectors...this is not what we want. We want our silviculture program," he insisted.
The Northumberland Forest Products Marketing Board says 130 people will be without work because of the cuts to the silviculture program, which will halve the board's 2007-2008 budget of $750,000.
Silviculture worker Norman Richardson was blunt about the effect the cuts will have on the sector.
"With a 50/50 split, you're not going to have a silviculture program," he said.
But although the woodlot owners have been vocal with their concerns, visiting Miramichi-area MLAs last week in the hopes that they will address the issue and restore funding, Foran was blunt about their chances.
"The budget has passed as-is," he told the woodlot owners, referring to the closing of debate on April 4. "Nothing has changed."
However, he added that the program was still funded, and that in formulating the budget, it would have been difficult to talk to all stakeholders involved in all aspects covered in its pages.
"Where would the process end?" he asked.
Both Foran and Robichaud asked for the names and average hours worked by people affected by the changes.
Last week, Finance Minister Victor Boudreau also said that the budget was a closed deal, while pointing to increases in other areas such as health, education and social programs, as well as $25.6 million for forestry, $4 million of which will go to the private woodlots and silviculture.
"Governing is about taking difficult decisions sometimes, and I stand by the budget we've brought forward," he said. "I think it's making key investments in areas we need to make, and it's certainly not neglecting silviculture."
Area mills have shown varying degrees of concern about the cuts, which the Woodlot Owners Association say could result in 700 jobs lost province-wide, as well as a 10 per cent drop in the Northumberland region's annual allowable cut.
"The budget reduction for private woodlot owners will no doubt be difficult," said Atcon spokeswoman Dorothy Innes. "However, we will continue to work with [them] by once again purchasing their products when our plywood mill returns to production."
A spokesman for J.D. Irving, Geoff Britt, said the company was aware of the unfavourable economic climate in the forestry sector. In Irving's case, that has meant a three-week shutdown of its Doaktown mill, which re-opened in March, and a reduction in its own silviculture program.
"While we will still plant and thin trees, our program will not be the size of last year's effort," Britt said. "In our case, this is a temporary measure. We would hope it's the same case with the government as well."
Conservative Finance Critic and Leader of the Opposition Jeannot Volpe and other members of his party met with the woodlot owners in Boiestown last week.
He says he is baffled about the reason for the silviculture cuts, arguing that they could hurt the industry's ability to recover from its current slump.
"The industry will come back in a few years," he said. "These people can't survive if you cut their job. It's not like they have a lot of choice. They don't have a degree, they don't have a Grade 12. This is all they know how to do."
He disagreed with the idea that the budget was cast in stone, pointing to the projected $19 million surplus.
"It can be done if they want," he said. "It's not like the money isn't there."
After Monday's meeting, the Northumberland Woodlot Owners Association's executive director, Kevin Forgrave, echoed those sentiments, saying that the sector was in enough trouble without the cuts.
"They say nothing can be done," he said. "I don't believe that. I can't believe that. They have to be held accountable."
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