Western Forestry Contractors’ Association
Rumour Mill RoundUpDate
14 December 2018
Volume 18 Issue 19
Warning: No facts were harmed in the writing, editing and publishing of this edition of the Rumour Mill RoundUpDate.
Seasoned Greetings (and more) From the
WFCA Rumour Mill RoundUpDate
WFCA Announces 2019 Annual Conference Program Featuring Policy and Practice Presenters and Panelists
Last edition, as our regular readers know, we outlined the safety program for the first afternoon (Wednesday, January 30th, 2019) of next year’s WFCA Annual Conference. The conference program remains in heavy rotation on our editorial calendar. Here is the policy and practice line up of panels, presentations and workshops for the next two days of the conference, Thursday, January 31st and the morning of Friday, February 1st, 2019.
Thursday, January 31st
Morning Plenary Presentation and Panel Discussion
The Landscape, Communities and People:
Adapting to Natural Disasters in B.C.
This panel will present and discuss the principle ecological drivers on parts of the BC landscape, how one leading community is adapting and the psycho-sociological impacts of disasters on communities and people.
Dr. Paul Hessburg Sr., USDA Forest Service, Research Landscape Ecologist
Bob Simpson, Mayor of Quesnel
Dr. Robin S. Cox, Royal Roads University, School of Humanitarian Studies
The morning sessions include presentations, a networking and trade show break, then a panelist and audience discussion all wrapping in time for lunch.
Afternoon Plenary Presentations and Panel Discussions
Doing Business in the New Normal: This includes a presentation followed by a panel session looking at some of the principle determinants influencing how the forest sector does business in the future.
Presenter Chris Holling, Director, Forecasting at B.C. Labour Market Information Office will set the scene with an overview of the province’s workforce trends and where forestry fits in.
Business Panelists Will Include:
Rob Schuetz RPF, President, Industrial Forestry Service Ltd.
Dave Elstone RPF, Executive Director Truck Loggers Association of BC
Domenico Iannidinardo RPF, RPBio, PEng, Vice President, TimberWest
Workshops Over Two Consecutive Sessions
(following the after-lunch panel session)
MSI Taping Workshops
Leaders, Total Physiotherapy’s Mike McCalonan and Jared Lalik
Dogs in the Forestry Workplace
Leaders Sylvia Fenwick Wilson Zanzibar Holdings Ltd. and Shane Jordan Montane Forest Consultants
Artificial Intelligence and Predicting Wildfire Behaviour
Leader Matthew Toner, President Zeros 2 Heroes Media
Competency-Based Training and Certification for Wild Fire Fighting
Leader TBA
Thursday Evening Banquet Speaker
Politicians lead complicated lives which always makes it suspenseful when it comes to getting anyone to confirm their attendance against their busy schedules. We are working on it. Stay tuned.
Friday, February 1st Morning Program
Presentation by Christine Gelowitz RPF CEO Association of BC Forest Professionals: Professional Reliance Proposed Changes and Their Impacts
Forum with John Allan, Deputy Minister MFLNRORD: Update on Our B.C. Government’s Forestry Priorities
WFCA Strategic Priority-Setting Session
WFCA AGM for members
Adjourn
Our BC Government Calls For Comments on Proposed
Professional Reliance Legislation
Our government introduced legislation this fall to strengthen governance of professionals who work in the resource sector in B.C. The Professional Governance Act has major business implications for forest professionals and the companies that use and employ them as it intends to extend government’s reach into scope of practice, professional declaration requirements and the regulation of firms. Some fear it may amount to our government micro-managing professional reliance and the bureaucratic burdens that go with that. Others, like the WFCA, say that improving forestry management outcomes will not be achieved focusing on PR as the problem when in fact it’s the stewardship regime itself we should be examining. Nevertheless, we draw this process to our members attention as the WFCA prepares a response to our government’s call for comments. We understand that our government, in consideration of the holidays and appeals from various organizations, has extended the deadline to early March in spite what is said on the comment page which you can go to here.