The Chilliwack
Progress Wednesday
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Tepid support for TPP
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Dairy farmers cautious Jessica Peters The Progress
Continued: FVRD/ p9
Participants at this year’s Muck MS event slosh through the mud at the start of a five-kilometre course at Dickland Farms Saturday. The event, which raised money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, sent hundreds of teams and individuals over obstacles and through lakes of mud. GREG KNILL/ PROGRESS
Green light for Hemlock Resort plan Jessica Peters The Progress The Hemlock Resort Master Plan has been approved by the provincial government. This is one of the final hurdles the mountain’s management company, Berezan Management, will have to climb in an attempt to revitalize the mountain. They started creating the massive plan seven years ago, after purchasing the assets out of foreclosure. The plan includes a sizeable expansion
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in both size and in operational seasons, with the hopes of making Hemlock a viable, year round resort. While the average number of skiers in 2010 was about 1,150 a day, the hill hopes to one day see 13,440 skiers on the hill each day. Hemlock Resort announced the news on Facebook on Friday morning, posting a letter sent to owner Ralph Berezan from the Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations. “Hemlock Resort has addressed
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the concerns raised through the course of the review to FLNR’s satisfaction with amendments to the Master Plan and commitments that will be incorporated into the Master Development Agreement,” the letter states. “In the coming months, our office will be working with you to finalize the new MDA which will replace your existing agreement for the resort.” The finalizations will include working with Sts’ailes on the establishment of a First Nation
Woodland Licence over the Controlled Recreation Area, as well as support from the government in working with the Fraser Valley Regional District. The letter, attributed to Terry Pratt of the Mountain Resorts Branch, said the plan will bring “much-needed capital investment in recreational infrastructure and all season tourism opportunities.” Hemlock Resort congratulated management on securing the support of the government. Continued: FVRD/ p9
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B.C.’s dairy farmers are taking a watchful waiting approach to Monday’s announcement of a Trans-Pacific Partnership. The federal government announced on Monday that it has entered into the final agreement of the TPP, which seeks to ease trade between 12 Pacific countries, including Canada, the United States, China and New Zealand. It has been seen as a threat to Canada’s supply management program for dairy producers, which helps ensure strength in that industry. The TPP, as presented on Monday, will grant market access to the other 11 countries in the TPP in an amount equal to 3.25 per cent of Canada’s 2016 milk production. That equals about 250 million litres of milk, says Trevor Hargreaves of the BC Dairy Association. But the government has also announced a series of compensation programs for dairy, poultry and egg producers and processors. Those programs would remain in place for 10 years, with a tapering off for another five years. “The three pillars of the supply management system will remain protected,” a Government of Canada announcement reads. Four separate programs equalling $4.3 billion are expected to fill in any shortfalls felt at farms and producers as the TPP is introduced. While dairy producers have rallied together over the last week as the trade negotiations were coming to a close, the BC Dairy Association reserved their criticism Monday, and even showed some optimism. “Time is needed to fully evaluate