Forestry Giants Sit Down with West Side Groups

Friday, August 22, 2003 at 15:02

 

 

 

Some major players in Northern Saskatchewan’s forestry industry are meeting in Beauval today.

 

The North West Metis Council is hosting what it’s calling the 1st Annual North West Saskatchewan Forestry Conference.

 

Participants in today’s gathering include representatives from Saskatchewan Environment, Weyerhaeuser, NorSask Forest Products, Mistik Management and North West Communities Wood Products.

 

Conference spokeswoman Yvonne Vizina says organizers wanted to arrange a positive discussion between the industry’s stakeholders without any one issue dominating discussion.

 

Alex Maurice is the area director in Beauval for the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. He says a lot of residents on the west side are wondering about the long term plans of forestry companies and how northerners fit into those plans.

 

That’s why Maurice is upset that representatives for the new oriented strandboard plant in Meadow Lake chose not to attend today’s gathering. He says the OSB plant has the potential to be a major employer of northwest residents, and he wants some assurances that things will turn out that way.