Victoria will host next year’s WSCA annual conference and trade show to be held the 3rd, 4th and 5th of February. That’s the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the week at the Laurel Point Inn, Victoria.
When is the WSCA annual conference?
Victoria will host next year’s WSCA annual conference and trade show to be held the 3rd, 4th and 5th of February. Note that that is the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the week not the usual configuration ending on the Friday. The venue will be the Laurel Point Inn, Victoria.
We are still putting the program together. So far the conference theme will lean towards health and safety on the first days with the introduction and delivery of the new silvicultural first aid training materials developed by FISA. We will also present Dr. Delia Robert’s completed silvicultural worker nutrition and exercise guidelines and programs developed by Weyerhaeuser and now supported by FISA. Two speakers on crisis management have been invited from the U.S. including a wildfire contractor who suffered the loss of five workers in a van accident two years ago. This dramatic session will focus on the personal and corporate effects of tragic workplace accidents. Clinics on knees and repetitive strain are also planned.
Who knows where the policy front will have moved on forestry issues by next year? However, we can expect to hear from the minister of forests and other Victoria forest policy-makers. Forestry contractors involved in wildfire fighting will be interested in a proposed panel to review the current centralized approach to wildfire fighting in B.C. and how we can improve the current standing offer so that contractors can make viable businesses out of fire suppression work.
We will keep you posted as the program comes together.