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Prince George Citizen September 19, 2019

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Photo surfaces of Trudeau wearing ‘brownface’ costume NEWS 7

Thursday, September 19, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916 16

A letter to our readers and the community Colleen SPARROW and Neil GODBOUT Citizen publisher and editor-in-chief

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Open-air library Construction continues at the library as parts of the walls are removed to allow for a new entrance to the Bob Harkins Branch of the Prince George Public Library.

Change is inevitable. We’re writing to you today to tell you about the changes we’re making at The Citizen. Effective Oct. 3, The Citizen will become a free weekly newspaper, available in neighbourhood boxes and at various other central locations, along with home delivery in certain residential areas of the city. We’ll be printing our last daily print edition on Saturday, Sept. 28. Becoming a weekly is not a decision that was made lightly or quickly, but we knew it was a necessary one in order to keep in step with the changing needs, habits and appetite for readily-available, quality journalism for local residents. Our online publication, www.princegeorgecitizen.com, remains the hub of our daily content, and the website will be updated constantly with the news and community content you love. Back when this newspaper began publication 103 years ago, it was also a weekly. Devoted to providing the people of Prince George and the surrounding communities with journalistic excellence and storytelling that would reflect the world around them, it became a daily in 1957. Decades later, and with the advent of online versions of newspapers around the world, we are now able to give you those same stories that matter, with the same commitment to local, vital news – but now we’re focusing on 24-7 delivery. A news organization always needs to listen to the people – and that’s what we’re doing. With most of our readers now finding us online, we are making this change to ensure quality and immediacy for you, and value for our sponsors and advertisers, who have financially supported our printing and distribution from the start. Our core values remain the same. Wheth-

er it’s breaking news, features, local sports team updates or community events, we will be there as we always have been. We’ll also bring you those stories quickly and directly via your phone, computer, tablet, etc. and our weekly print edition will allow you to pick up the paper and read at your leisure. As Charity Milner (The Citizen’s former president) wrote to readers in November 1963, The Citizen’s role is: “to bring out all the significant news and to tell the truth as we see truth, no matter whose feelings may be ruffled.” That means bringing your daily news to you when it happens, holding governments and politicians to account, and continuing to take those bigger dives into important local stories that need our attention. To our readers: we pledge to deliver the news stories you have come to rely on us for on a daily basis, and with the same commitment to integrity, values and passionate journalism as we have always done. To our subscribers: we thank you for your continued support through the years. We hope you will continue to enjoy our weekly publication for free. To our retailers and stores: thank you for including The Citizen on your shelves, and as an option for delivery. We will be printing a list of locations where the paper can be picked up weekly as we move forward. To our sponsors and advertisers: we are thankful for your company on this journey, and we look forward to exploring new ways to bring your messages to our readers. To our team: thank you. We couldn’t be more grateful for all you have done and for all that we will continue to do together in the future. On a personal note, both of us have been through many changes during our newspaper careers. — see ‘THANK YOU, page 3

COFI issues long-term plan to renew forest industry Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca The BC Council of Forest Industries is calling on government and industry to pursue a series of “policy choices” to guide the sector through the current “perfect storm” of troubles and towards a viable future. There are 60 recommendations in all and they come in the form of a report, entitled “Smart Future: A Path Forward for B.C.’s Forest Products Industry.” “In addition to addressing today’s challenges, many people are asking what the future holds for forestry in British Columbia, and where will we be once we have moved through this transition,” COFI president Susan Yurkovich said in a statement. “We believe that with the right choices, there is a bright future for the forest industry in B.C. That’s why we are putting forward our ideas for a path forward - one that will help attract investment, secure jobs, deliver value and sustain economic benefits across the province. “Some of these policy choices can be implemented by industry, others will require government action, and many will require collective effort from workers, communi-

Today’s Weather Hi +11° Low +5° See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts

LOCAL HOROSCOPE NEWS OPINION SCIENCE

ties, First Nations, academic institutions and all those involved in the sector to build the industry of the future.” The proposals are divided among five themes that include steps to “double down on market and product diversification.” On that note, authors suggest an export tax credit for products shipped to nonU.S. markets and increasing the proportion of value-added manufacturing in the province to at least 20 per cent within five years. As it stands, about 30 per cent of B.C.’s wood products are now shipped to Asia, the authors note, adding that developing new markets requires perseverance. “It takes years to develop product familiarity, codes, standards and market acceptance. But the benefits of these efforts has been significant for B.C.” And it will have to be pursued in the context of lower harvest levels and rising fibre costs, meaning “we need to continue to explore new ways to generate as much value as we can from the resource.” The plan also calls for securing a land base for harvesting. According to the report, 52.3 per cent of the province is covered by some form of conservation designation - from parks and protected areas

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SPORTS COMICS CROSSWORD MONEY CLASSIFIEDS

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to old-growth management and wildlife conservation areas. “A key choice, that would help build the confidence that draws investment into the province, would be to settle on the size of our working forest and lock it in,” authors say. “This will allow companies and communities to plan a future that workers can count on.” Specific proposals on that theme include salvaging timber within two years of a wildfire and switching a portion of forest licenses from volume-based to area based “to encourage further investment by companies in intensive forest management.” The plan was issued Monday - the day before B.C. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson announced a $69-million aid package for displaced forest workers. In an interview, Yurkovich said she welcomed the measures that include putting $40 million over two years toward an early-retirement bridging program for older forest workers. Yurkovich called the step “entirely appropriate.” “We also have lots of work to do to train the next generation of forest workers because, ironically...within the next 10 years we have a demographic bubble,” she said. “We have a lot of people moving through

Finding inspiration to change EDITORIAL 6

www.pgcitizen.ca

towards the age of retirement and we need to ready ourselves for the next generation of forest worker. And so we also need to be able to train attract highly-skilled workers to work in our facilities, and the industry is high-tech, so we need to bring in technology workers, accountants, sales and marketing people, logistics people and we need to attract the next generation of forest worker as well.” The bridging program is contingent on employers chipping in on a cost-sharing basis. Opposition forests critic John Rustad, the B.C. Liberal MLA for Nechako Lakes, questioned the proviso given lumber producers are losing money. But Yurkovich said COFI is “happy for any support” for the sector. “Industry can’t afford to do everything on its own because we’re already facing very significant financial challenges and complex markets. We’re paying 20.23-percent duties, our log costs are climbing to the point where you’re seeing the curtailments because with markets where they are and fibre costs where they are, operations are uneconomic.” The full report is posted with this story at www.princegeorgecitizen.com.

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