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“The Community Development Trust is assisting forest workers, their families and communities across this province. During a time when every job counts, we are providing stability,” said Krueger. “We are pleased to be able to support this project, while at the same time improving fire safety in the Kootenays.”
One project involves six forest workers reducing the risk of fire by pruning, removing brush and small trees as well as easily combustible matter that has accumulated on the forest floor near Slocan and Winlaw. The $221,675 project will cover about 40 hectares of forest that has been classified as high risk, based on proximity to homes, fuel load, forest type and level of consequences if a fire occurred. The workers will also create access trails for fire-fighters in the event they are ever needed.
“The Job Opportunities Program is
using the skills of the valley’s forest workers to improve the overall safety
of the communities,” said
The work is being led by The Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative
(SIFCo), which conducted the surveys identifying the high risk areas. The
co-op also has a community forest agreement, and aims to keep jobs and profits
local, while emphasizing long-term
economic, social, and environmental stability.
“The
devastating fire near Slocan in the summer of 2007 showed how important it is
to be pro-active when dealing with fire risk and this grant is helping our community
to manage the risks of forest fire,” said Madeleine Perriere, Slocan Mayor and
director of SIFCo.
The Job Opportunities Program is
also funding a four-worker, $99,000 project that will include fuel management
work in about 16 hectares of land near
The $26.25-million Job Opportunities Program is reducing the impact of current layoffs on workers employed in the forest industry, retaining skilled forest workers for the anticipated future upturn, and preserving the characteristics of the labour force in forest-dependent communities.
Forest-dependent communities or organizations, licensees and contractors working in cooperation with a forest-dependent community are eligible to submit a project proposal to the Job Opportunities Program. To date, the program has approved over $16 million to support 93 projects which will employ more than 750 forest workers in communities across the province.
The Job Opportunities Program is one component of the Community Development Trust, which was announced last spring. B.C.’s share of the federal trust is $129 million over three years, with funds also directed to a Tuition Assistance Program and Transition Assistance for Older Workers Program.
In the 2009/2010 budget, the Province committed an additional $30 million for further programs similar to those offered under the Community Development Trust.
For more information about the Community Development Trust and Job Opportunities Program, go to: www.cd.gov.bc.ca/cdt/.
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Media Contacts: |
Jennifer McLarty Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592 |
Leanne Ritchie Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Community Development 250 387-4089 |
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Stephan Martineau |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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