As part of its 2017 goals, the City of Campbell River’s Forestry Task Force will review industrial tax rates in neighbouring municipalities and identify which potential incentives to attract or retain industrial properties in Campbell River.
“This goal is one of a number of items the task force is undertaking this year to enhance the sustainability of the forest sector and support existing and new businesses,” says Coun. Charlie Cornfield, the task force’s chairperson and facilitator.
Other task force goals for 2017 include:
- With local sawmills, investigate opportunities to use wood waste;
- Meet with the local Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources resource manager and the manager of BC Timber Sales to discuss access to fibre for local sawmills;
- Continue discussions with the provincial government, First Nations and community partners to evaluate the opportunity for the establishment of a Community Forest Tenure;
- Promote the Wood First Council Policy in both City and private projects;
- Continue to provide Council advice and information on a variety of forestry related issues;
- Publicize the task force’s work and the advantages of a strong local forestry sector.
“This update is the first from the task force’s newly formed communications subcommittee,” says communications subcommittee chair Steve Lackey. “Our goal is to provide the community with factual, unbiased information on forestry-related issues to help people stay up to date and to make informed decisions on topical forest-industry issues and events.”
Topics for future updates include current events, local employment, market trends, career and educational opportunities, local forest industry history and how BC Forest Policy relates to management of forests in the Campbell River area.
Community members are invited to suggest potential topics for Forestry Task Force discussion in 2017.
Email ideas to: rose.klukas@campbellriver.ca or drop off a written suggestion at the reception desk at City Hall (attention Forestry Task Force Communications Committee).
“The committee will do its best to address people’s interest, but we might not get to all of them,” Lackey says.
Task force updates will be distributed as news releases, posted on the City website (www.campbellriver.ca) and shared through the City’s social media platforms.
The nine members of the task force bring diverse backgrounds to their forest industry expertise.