Why is advocacy such an important program for our members to participate in?

It’s simple, the squeaky wheel gets the grease!

The WRLA has been that squeaky wheel and has achieved some successes. Here is a brief highlight of where we are winning: 

• Successfully garnered a total of $695,000 in funds from the Alberta Government to conduct a labour study PLUS provide funds to execute on the recommendations which include FREE training resources for our members, their staff and those looking to work in the LBM industry.
• Successfully garnered $100,000 from the Saskatchewan Government to support the training needs of our members and help them in their quest to build stronger businesses.
• Representing our members as an essential service to ensure their businesses can continue to stay open during the pandemic.
• Successfully influenced the Saskatchewan government to implement a Home Renovation Tax Credit in the province of Saskatchewan in 2020! We encouraged every province and the federal government to do the same, however the other governments did not take action.

While progress has been made, we have a lot of work to do and success in this program requires continuous effort from the staff team and collaboration from our members to really bring issues impacting their business to the forefront.

We need YOU to help us take these efforts to the next level.   

To increase our success in our government relations efforts, we are shifting our approach to provincial committees. Starting in September we will be scheduling provincial committee meetings with interested members from all parts of their respective provinces to ensure we can discuss municipal and provincial needs. There will also be opportunity to discuss federal issues that impact our members as well.  

Interested to learn more or lend your support?

Please contact Liz Kovach, lkovach@wrla.org or call at 204-770-2416 to discuss any questions you may have or to sign up to join a provincial committee! 

Swan Valley Memorandum of Understanding

Prepared by Prospectus Associates

On June 28th, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Economic Development Minister Jamie Moses announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed with three First Nations enabling Louisiana-Pacific to operate for another five years. 

As the Manitoba government press release stated, “During this time, Louisiana-Pacific, local First Nations and the Manitoba government will work together to create a 20-year forest management plan that meets the needs of both parties. This act of economic reconciliation is good for the economy, Indigenous Peoples and working-class Manitobans, the premier noted.” (Read news release)

This announcement is expected to bring stability after several years of uncertainty. Louisiana-Pacific has been harvesting timber in Duck Mountain Provincial Park since 1994, with a licensing agreement that has been extended several times. 

As CBC noted, “In January 2022, Minegoziibe Anishinabe filed a lawsuit against the province, claiming it breached its constitutional duty to consult them about the logging operations in their traditional lands. The lawsuit also named Louisiana-Pacific and sought an order to terminate the most recent one-year extension. Manitoba is constitutionally obligated to consult First Nations and provide a forest management plan before each new licence extension is issued, but that did not happen, the court documents said.” (Read full article on CBC.com)

In 2006, a ten-year forestry management plan expired, with the company receiving several extensions of its license. 

Lawsuits had been filed by First Nations against the Province of Manitoba, citing a failure to undertake consultations, back in 2022. “The members of Minegoziibe Anishinabe and Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation are challenging the extension of Louisiana Pacific’s Forest Management Licence on the ground that Manitoba violated Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982 by failing to fulfill the duty to consult prior to authorizing conduct which may adversely affect Treaty rights.” (Details of the lawsuit on legalaid.mb.ca)

In signing the MOU, Chief Elwood Zastre, Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation on behalf of the three First Nations signatories, noted the following: “Today marks the first time that the Manitoba government has agreed to move forward collaboratively with First Nations in this province to support immediate and long-term measures to protect treaty rights in commercial forestry licensing agreements. It further shows a willingness to engage in joint decision-making about forest stewardship in our traditional homelands.” (View the news conference)

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