Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, and George Chow, Minister of State for Trade, have issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s second administrative review and its preliminary determination regarding countervailing and anti-dumping duties applied to Canada’s softwood lumber exports to the U.S.:

As the weather continues to warm up in many parts of the province, British Columbians are being urged to do their part to prevent human-caused wildfires and help keep communities safe.

 The B.C. government is investing over $5 million to help Community Forest Agreement holders complete wildfire risk reduction projects as part of the Province’s economic recovery plan to create jobs and help communities deal with the impacts of COVID-19.

Opportunities to work on more than 180 land-based projects are helping people begin their economic recovery from COVID-19, as part of the provincial response plan.

The B.C. government is investing $10 million in a new FireSmart Economic Recovery Fund, as part of its economic recovery plan to create jobs and help communities cope with the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thousands more people in rural and Indigenous communities are benefiting from improved high-speed internet thanks to provincial investments in connectivity infrastructure projects.

The province is delivering relief to small- and medium-sized forestry businesses for the extra costs of keeping their employees and communities safe, while operating through the COVID-19 pandemic.