OHS Regulation Compliance Alert -
Flame Retardant Clothing
Recent discussions with employers in the Drilling and Well Servicing sector have revealed that not all Contractors are adhering to the requirements of the OHS Regulation with regards to providing FRC clothing to their workers. See the Compliance Alert.

Forest and Environment News:

FSC BC Guidance – now included
Quickscribe is pleased to report the FSC BC Guidance - a companion document to the FSC- Regional Standards for British Columbia, is now included as part of your EnviroFor site. This document can be found by clicking on the "Guidebooks/Policies etc" link located on the top left navigation section of your EnviroFor screen. This guide is intended for forest managers, FSC-accredited certifiers and anyone else interested in using the FSC Regional Certification Standards for British Columbia. Unique to this Envirofor, we include convenient links to binding international agreements relevant to forest management operations.

Logging contractors lose financial backing -
Loans called for up to 35 coast operators after
financier goes into receivership
Up to 35 contract loggers on the B.C. coast are having their loans called now that Nanaimo financier Forest & Marine Group has gone into receivership. "There’s going to be a lot of forced liquidations," said Kevin Mason, investment analyst at Equity Research Associates. "People are going to be scrambling around looking for alternatives." See the News story as reported in the Vancouver Sun.

B.C. budget bites into green programs
Public transit and energy-efficient renovations are two programs that will take a hit from the B.C. budget courtesy of changes due to the new harmonized sales tax. See the News story as reported by the CBC.

Wood Roofing on the Rise In Northern China
The commercial use of B.C. wood for apartment re-roofing has expanded for the first time into northern China. Through a memorandum of understanding with the Province of Hebei, the apartment re-roofing in Shijiazhuang is a two-phase project. The first phase is confirmed, and the second phase is contingent on the results of the first phase. See the News Release.

Federal Court Decision Interpreting Species at Risk Act
May Create Problems for Landowners and
Resource Users
The Federal Court recently issued its first substantive decision interpreting the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The decision, hailed as a victory for the environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) that brought the application, and for the species they are interested in protecting, may prove to be problematic for the government, and for those private property owners or entities operating in areas with habitat for species listed as endangered or threatened in SARA. See the Full Article as published by Janice Walton at Blakes.