VICTORIA – Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman should stop making vague pronouncements and start making real decisions about dealing with B.C.’s growing forestry crisis, especially around the export of raw logs, New Democrat Forest Critic Bob Simpson said today.

“While log exports grow and resource communities cope with increasing job losses, Mr. Coleman keeps receiving reports and making vague pronouncements about action in the future, but Forest communities and the forest industry need action now,” Simpson said in response to a media interview by Coleman published today.

“Yesterday the Minister also admitted that the Liberal government’s 2003 forest revitalization strategy has failed, an admission which supports my contention that the Auditor General needs to conduct an investigation into that half a billion dollar boondoggle,” said Simpson, the MLA for Cariboo North.

“Log exports are growing out of control while coastal mills cannot get logs, yet the Forest Minister hinted that he wants to remove restrictions on log exports from private lands, opening the floodgates even further to more log exports and job losses,” he said. “While that may go over well with some friends of the Campbell government, it will put more forest employment and forest-dependent communities at risk.”

The Forests Minister has received a number of reports relating to issues in the forest industry, including a report last October on using wood waste for bio-energy, a review on log exports last December, a report by the Premier’s special advisor, Ken Dobell, on the coastal forest industry, and a report on the future of Port Alberni .

“Mr. Coleman was promising action on the coastal issues in February. It’s almost June and we’re still waiting. Now we’re seeing significant mill curtailments and closures around the province, including the closure in Mackenzie announced this week, and Mr. Coleman is still talking about generalities in the media,” he said. “Forest-dependent communities and families cannot continue to be told that in a couple of weeks the Minister will act, because they need assistance now.

“It’s time for Mr. Coleman to get on with the job of stabilizing our forest industry and forest jobs, and stop making promises of action some time in the future,” said Simpson.