BC Liberals announce plan to help rural B.C. communities

THE BC Liberals on Friday announced a plan to bring jobs and confidence back to our rural communities that they said had been ignored for three years by BC NDP Leader John Horgan and the NDP.

They said Horgan and the NDP disrespected small B.C communities by cancelling the Rural Dividend Fund and stood by and watched as the forestry industry collapsed with 45 mills closed or partially closed and over 10,000 jobs impacted.

“Today, the BC Liberals are presenting a bold vision for our forestry and natural resources industries that will fix the broken stumpage system, cut the permit processing time for new mines, and pursue a resource benefit-sharing framework to support small and rural communities,” said BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson.

He said that as the forestry sector struggled, the NDP did nothing, while the BC Liberals introduced a five-point recovery plan for the industry — Horgan said no and dismissed it.

“On top of our plans to revitalize the natural resource sector, eliminating the 7% sales tax will make a significant difference in the lives of everyone in our forestry and resource-dependent communities. People are struggling right now and we’re here to help,” said Wilkinson. “The NDP gutted the Rural Dividend Fund and have all but abandoned natural resource-dependent communities. It’s time for a government that works to bring opportunity to all of B.C.”

The B.C. Liberals said that unlike Horgan and the NDP, they will fight to restore confidence and rebuild British Columbia’s forestry sector.