Forest workers protested in Nanaimo, British Columbia yesterday afternoon over the province’s continued export of raw logs.

Hundreds of workers and their supporters gathered for a march and rally in the downtown. The rally was sponsored by the Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada.

Not all were support of the protest. The B.C. Private Forest Landowner’s Association claims the exportation of raw logs supports B.C.’s local economies.

“This industry has been almost destroyed due to raw log exports,” said Don Robertson, a retired sawmill worker from Ladysmith, B.C. Robertson marched yesterday with a sign that read ‘no logs-no jobs’. “We have so many mills still shut down while raw logs are continuously being shipped to China. I think all of our mills should be running and doing all the processing here so we can keep the jobs in B.C.”

In 2010, B.C. log exports increased by more than 50% with more product shipped to China than in the previous 20 years combined, and Ministry of Forests officials expect another record-setting year.

In the first three months of 2011 alone, B.C.’s coast exported 40% or 1.3 million cubic metres of logs harvested. That’s a 300% jump from the same period in 2009.

Source:
Forestry workers protest against continued exporting of B.C. raw logs (Nanaimo Daily News)