TRIAL BY WILDFIRE
Minister feels the heat early in his mandate
Premier John Horgan threw Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson into the figurative fire by appointing him Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
Acting to “protect and create jobs by fighting for a fair deal for B.C. wood products” topped Horgan’s list of priorities for Donaldson in the premier’s mandate letter for the portfolio, but now the 60-year-old Hazelton resident is also dealing with the province’s wildfire crisis.
Donaldson, a longtime resident of the vast Stikine constituency — geographically the province’s biggest — was first elected MLA in 2009.
He was critic for energy and mines on the opposition benches, but will be counting on his experience in a career that spans journalism (his first job in Smithers was as a reporter for the Interior News), education, tourism, forestry consulting and four terms as a municipal councillor in Hazelton to serve him in his present role.
Q What, in your previous experience, do you think prepares you for the job you have now?
A I’ve lived in Hazelton, which is a very small community, and I’ve been there for 26 years or so. I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in the forest industry and the impacts they have on remote rural communities. I’ve also seen
how people are resilient and use forest lands for all sorts of uses other than timber harvesting.
I believe that gives me a pretty good background … coming from a small, remote northern community is really the perspective I bring, and that impacts policy.
Q How daunting is it dealing with B.C.’s wildfire situation as one of the first tasks in your new job?
A The daunting part is (hearing about) the impact it has on people in their communities and their homes and their pets and livestock. These are some pretty raw emotions. It hasn’t been daunting in that there’s such an amazing team of professionals under the B.C. Wildfire Service (dealing with the fires). What’s been a bit daunting is managing in all the other aspects of the ministry in the initial stages of getting all the briefings. This is a humongous ministry.
The fires are burning in a region already struggling with reduced interim timber supplies due to the mountain pine beetle situation. Do you know how much of the vital midterm timber supply is being burned this year? I don’t have that number at my fingertips, but (fires have) definitely had an impact, no question.
This is some of the timber that was planned for commercial production and harvesting in the short term. There is still (timber) volume there that is part of the hectares burned, and that’s what we’ll be getting at right away, to see what can be (salvaged) right away. We also understand the need to get on to reforestation in these areas.
Q Could more have been done to avoid some of the evacuations and property damage where it has occurred?
A After this imminent threat is over, which could be another month and a half — we’re only into the usual start of the fire season — we’ll be doing an analysis on what could have been done better. I’m very interested in the preventative side that can be used to mitigate (forest fires).
There is something called the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy, which has been a 10-year strategy that was refreshed last year, but there is still a gap in federal funding. I’m advocating in Ottawa and our federal counterparts to try to refresh the financial commitment.
Q In the meantime, you also have fighting for a fair deal in the softwood lumber negotiations with the United States on your list of responsibilities. How are you going to do that?
A First of all, I’ve been in constant contact with Premier Horgan on that file and I was really happy with the outcome of his trips to Ottawa and Washington. He immediately established a really positive relationship with (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau).
And the fact that Premier Horgan was able to get a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in Washington, I think that’s really, really important and that’s something that hadn’t been done in the last couple of years.
Q You’ve had a lot put on your plate, including responsibilities for rural development. How do you accomplish this part of your portfolio at the same time regions have to prepare for reduced timber harvests?
A I’m really excited about the rural-development aspect as well.
As I said, my experience has been with small communities that still depend on the forest industry and communities who have seen the forest sector leave their towns and are still resilient. How do you replicate that resilience around the province? The province has a role in that.
Q What are your fears for what is going to happen from reduced harvests during the socalled midterm timber supply period in B.C.’s Interior while beetle-damaged forests are regrowing ?
A There was an uplift to (the provincial timber harvest) due to the mountain pine beetle epidemic and we’re coming to the end of that uplift. So we’re going to be looking to help communities transition with that. Mainly, I’ll be focused on what the communities feel is appropriate.