Photo: Rob Gibson
Ben Stewart, the MLA for Kelowna-West, has added his voice to the hue and cry over Friday’s announcement that Tolko’s mill in Kelowna is shutting down permanently.
“This is just completely unconscionable,” Stewart said. “They are completely ignoring rural British Columbia and the forest sector.”
Stewart says the premier should convene an emergency all-party committee on forestry to look at recommendations to find ways to get workers back to work.
“We’re losing those jobs permanently in Kelowna, but what about those other places: Armstrong, Lavington? They are all struggling, and it’s because we’ve chosen to not even have any dialogue.”
The BC Liberals have gone so far as to call for Forestry Minister Doug Donaldson to be fired.
“I share the anger of the workers here in Kelowna who expected their government to act sooner and more decisively,” Stewart said. “Instead, the NDP just sat on their hands and did nothing to stop to the closure of a mill that’s been in our community for over 80 years.
“Last June, the BC Liberals presented John Horgan with a five-point plan to get the industry back on track and save jobs. That advice was ignored at the cost of permanent job loss in our community.”
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