B.C. Premier calls Quesnel a ‘hub of innovation’ in face of forestry downturn

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January 22, 2020
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From the Quesnel Cariboo Observer:

B.C. Premier John Horgan is visiting eight northern British Columbia communities to hear from community leaders how the province can build on its support for communities that have been affected by the downturn in the forestry sector, and he stopped in Quesnel Monday, Jan. 20.

Horgan highlighted Quesnel as being a community that has worked hard to meet the challenges that are associated with a declining forestry industry.

“Quesnel is a hub of innovation when it comes to forestry,” he said, following a tour of the new Forestry Innovation Centre at City Hall. “Of course [there are] significant challenges in the transition from the forestry of the past to the forestry of the future. [Quesnel Mayor Bob] Simpson and I have known each other for a long time; he works co-operatively with me on the challenges we see going forward. We had indigenous leaders here, we had other representatives of the from the regional district here, to talk not just about forestry but about how we can continue to grow the interior of British Columbia. It is the hub, it is the centre, and it was exciting to be here today.”

When asked what message he had for the residents of Quesnel who have been negatively impacted by the decline of the forestry industry in the region, Horgan said:

“That we are working together. Indigenous communities, Mayor Simpson and council, workers, the industries that have been here, whether it be West Fraser, the larger employer or the other forestry companies here, we are all working together to find a way forward, to add more value to our forest products rather than more volume. That’s the way we are going to have a vibrant industry going forward. We need to work on fire interface — we had a lucky year last year; there is no guarantee that next year is going to be any better than 2017 and 2018, so we need to prepare for that, and Quesnel has been a leader in that regard. That’s why I was so excited to talk to the innovation people here about how they’re managing the forest to protect communities and how they’re managing the forests to protect jobs going forward.”