Big River Grapples With Timber Allocation Blow

Big River Grapples With Timber Allocation Blow

Monday, November 30, 2009 at 12:30

 

 

Residents of Big River are holding a meeting tonight to deal with last week’s provincial timber allocation announcement.

 

The Big River sawmill, which has a buyer in place, wasn’t given any timber from the Crown-owned forest in the Prince Albert region, but 10 First Nations and private businesses did get timber rights.

 

Premier Brad Wall and MLA Nadine Wilson have been invited to the meeting, but Wall’s office says he won’t be coming.

 

Big River mayor Brian Brownfield says he hasn’t heard back from Wilson yet.

 

Energy and Resources minister Bill Boyd, who made the timber allocation announcement, hasn’t been invited.

 

Brownfield says that’s because the community doesn’t want to hear from Boyd any more.

 

“He stood in front of a crowd of over 400 people in June and said if there’s a buyer for that mill, there will be wood for it. So the people of this community don’t really want to talk to him any more, because we’re obviously — he doesn’t speak in the way people are used to being spoken to,” the mayor says.

 

Tonight’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the community centre in Big River.

 

Residents are considering travelling down to the provincial legislature on Wednesday to protest.