📋 Tender Overview
Short-term employment opportunities on northern Vancouver Island have kept forest workers affected by changes in the sector employed under the governments Forest Employment Program FEP.As someone who has worked in the forestry sector I know personally how important forestry is for rural communities across the province including the North Island said Katrine Conroy Minister of Forests. The Forest Employment Program is creating family-supporting jobs for forestry contractors and their workers while reducing wildfire risk and improving infrastructure for communities.The FEP provides short-term employment opportunities for forestry contractors and workers affected by mill curtailments old-growth deferrals and other forestry-sector impacts. Projects often involving Indigenous partnerships include funding upgrades to forest service roads range infrastructure recreational trails community access and wildfire mitigation. The projects are part of 185 million over three years from Budget 2022 to provide co-ordinated and comprehensive supports for forestry workers industry communities and First Nations that may be affected by new restrictions on old-growth logging.Workers and contractors will be able to make the North Island an even better places to live and visit while supporting their families and communities said Ravi Kahlon Minister of Jobs Economic Recovery and Innovation. We know that changes and downturns can be hard on communities that rely on the forestry sector and our government is there for them. Improved access to recreation sites new and better trails safer roads and wildfire-mitigation projects all help keep people working while building more resilient regions and a stronger B.C.On the northern part of Vancouver Island there were 20 FEP projects approved in 2021-22 totalling more than 1.3 million in the communities of Nimpkish Port Alice Port McNeill Port Hardy Woss and Zeballos.Projects includedAssessment deconstruction and rehabilitation of the McNair Lake Dam in Campbell River19 forest service road projects FSR includingSalt Marsh FSR accessibility requirements primarily wheelchair access requested from schools and First Nations communities near Port McNeillEver River Bridge guardrail installation in the Campbell River DistrictInstallation of two new bridge structures on the North IslandFair Harbour FSR ditch line blasting rock-hammering small faces fixing leans and installing culverts and no-post barriers near Zeballos and three First Nations communities.Since its creation in 2019 FEP has distributed 30 million which have supported 317 projects and created more than 840 short-term jobs.
