Last year the Premier acknowledged that forestry contractors around the province had no protection in the event of insolvency by one of their key customers and that this was unacceptable. Every forestry family from Howe Sound to Fort Nelson heard Premier Clark say that forest contractors should be provided similar rights and protections as contractors in other industries.

B.C.'s logging associations have been working closely with government and licensees to find ways to ensure our contractors are protected and we are pleased to hear that the Premier continues to be committed to establishing a compensation fund to ensure that adequate funds are available to contractors and sub-contractors in the event of non-payment due to licensee or contractor insolvencies.

Although the details of the fund are still to be worked out, we hold the position that contractors and sub-contractors should not pay for the fund nor should they pay to maintain it when it is drawn down,” says Lewis, “but we have committed to government that we will look at an appropriate mechanism that will see that it is replenished when drawn down. This fund must be sustainable in order to protect our members for the long-term."

To accomplish this, the TLA is committing to working with licensees to come back to government with recommendations on how to sustain the fund, by March 31, 2012. The TLA is pleased that the Premier continues to work with contractors on this issue and we are confident that she is committed to resolving it.

This is not something that we will allow to be forgotten, as there are families of contractors in areas like Kitwanga, who continue to suffer as they have no ability to be paid for the work they have done for an insolvent licensee," says Lewis.