VICTORIA – The Forest Revitalization Plan has been a half-billion dollar exercise that has hurt the forest sector, and now it’s time for the Auditor General investigate the real cost and impact of the short-sighted reforms the Campbell government made in 2003, New Democrat Forest Critic Bob Simpson said today.

“Four years after the Campbell government made sweeping changes to the forest sector, with over half a billion dollars in taxpayers’ money spent along the way, there are still too many unanswered questions,” said Simpson. “Forest Minister Rich Coleman can never give a straight answer – so now I am hoping the Auditor General will.”

Simpson said that it is time for an independent analysis of the current climate facing the forest sector as a result of the government’s reforms. Simpson has asked the Auditor General to conduct an investigation into the Campbell Government’s 2003 Forest Revitalization Strategy, with specific attention paid to the real impact and full cost of the reforms.

“Four years later this strategy has failed to achieve any of its stated objectives,” said Simpson. “And worse, it has created a situation which makes it virtually impossible to reposition the industry for success in the future. The Minister and this government have to be accountable for the damage done to the forest sector.”

Simpson said that the centerpiece of the B.C. Liberals’ 2003 strategy was the take back of tenure rights in order to break the stranglehold major corporations had over fibre supply. However, the Forest Act changes resulted in a significant increase in corporate concentration to the point that regional monopolies and oligopolies have formed. This has severely limited log supply to independent, value-added, and remanufacturing mills, and has forced the closure or curtailment of many operations.

“The revitalization plan promised to ‘open up the forest sector to new opportunities, new participants and new ideas;’ instead it has effectively closed the door for small operators,” said Simpson.

“Forest-dependent communities, First Nations, forest sector workers, contractors, and the independent and value-added sectors have all been hurt by this government’s sole focus on the needs of the fewer and fewer major forest companies left operating in this province.”