Aspen Planers employees, forestry workers stage protest in Merritt

MERRITT — Standing outside the Ministry of Forest building in Merritt, employees at Aspen Planers, logging truck drivers and others impacted by recent shutdowns are trying to get the province’s attention as the company waits for the B.C. government to sign off on cutting permits.

“We’re here today because the government refuses to sign our permits,” noted union representative for Aspen Planers workers Bryan Halford. “Some of them are four months old, some of them are a year old. It’s time for us to get back to work.

At one point, the workers walked onto ministry property, hoping to speak with someone in the office.

While the mill is currently operating, it’s been a difficult couple months for many of the protesters, who have come off a long period of not working since shutdowns began in December, impacting their ability to pay bills that are piling up during closures.

“We’ve been off way too long already. The guys are feeling the pinch. Some guys are having to go to other jobs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way,” said Halford. “Government just signs the permits, easy as that. They’re on their desk. They’ve been on their desk and it’s time for them to sign.”

Frank Etchart, who owns Nadina Logging, added, “These employees at Aspen Planers, they have payments, they have mortgages. I guess they [the government] don’t care anymore.”

Nadina Logging is a company that’s been in the business for more than 60 years. The shutdowns have locked out his drivers, who are also being affected by problems at Aspen Planer.

“We have 25 employees. We have 20 pieces of machinery. We have trucks and equipment. Those things need to be paid for,” noted Etchart, who attended the protest. “On top of the salaries and the mortgages is the fuel, the spare parts we get, the spare parts from Kamloops. We have a big investment. It’s nothing for us to spending $600,000, $800,000 every month.”

Etchart says his livelihood and others are in danger, and he feels the provincial government is doing nothing to help out the 150 workers at Aspen and the other hundreds who benefit from spin-off employment.

“The only mill in town now and we still cannot get the permits approved,” he said. “We have 300,000 of cubic metres in permits waiting to be approved. It looks like the ministry’s waiting. They have waited for six months to a year to approve those things. What’s happening? We have machines, equipment that we have payments.”

The mayor of Merritt Mike Goetz has heard no response from the province after several calls to the Forest Minister Bruce Ralston have gone unanswered.

“There’s been a lot of communication, but there’s a lot of irons in this fire, a lot of different directions to go, but we are constantly on it because it’s one of our last mills and we can’t have that go down,” noted Goetz. “It affects two other communities as well. It affects Lillooet and Savona.”

For the workers, they just want to do what they do best — haul logs and produce lumber for Merritt. They’re pleading for the province to do the right thing before a permanent shutdown comes.

“We have two weeks work, then we have an upgrade coming, and after that if we don’t get our permits signed, we’re all out of work again,” said Halford.