BC's Wood Enterprise Coalition Announcement
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BC's Wood Enterprise Coalition (WEC) today congratulated Regional District of Kootenay Boundary on the passage of its new Wood First Resolution in support of the province's Wood First Act - making it the 40th local government in BC to pass a Wood First commitment. The Wood Enterprise Coalition is a partnership of Wood WORKS! BC, BC Wood and FPInnovations. The Wood First Act, passed by the BC government in 2009, aims to increase demand for wood products by requiring provincially-funded projects to use wood where suitable and supported by the BC Building Code.
"We are very excited to reach this milestone in BC," stated Mary Tracey, executive director of Wood WORKS! BC and executive member of the Wood Enterprise Coalition. "We congratulate the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, and each and every one of the other 39 local governments for demonstrating their leadership and vision, recognizing that a wood culture will lead us to a more sustainable way of life in the future of this province. The use of wood as a building material makes good sense from an environmental and aesthetic point of view, and also from an economic point of view."
"These Wood First commitments support our historic wood culture in BC; where forestry continues to play an integral role in supporting the well-being and prosperity of communities and regional districts in our province," added Ms. Tracey. It's estimated that 85,000 families depend on the forest and wood products manufacturing sector for their livelihood in BC, primarily in rural BC, but the industry is also recognized to be a strong economic engine for urban prosperity in the province.
"We are very proud to be the 40th community to support the Wood First Initiative in our province," explained Marguerite Rotvold, Chair, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary. "Maximizing the use of wood in our local projects makes sense as the wood industry is important to our regional economy. Use of this renewable resource also supports our Green Building Policy, which requires design and development of projects with environmental, economic and social considerations." Its new policy states, "The RDKB supports the ongoing development of a wood culture by considering that the structural and architectural features of RDKB buildings and facilities be constructed from wood, a sustainable, natural and renewable building material, in a cost-effective manner, taking into account the long-term and life cycle benefits to BC of building with wood."
Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Minister Pat Bell also extended his congratulations to Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and all BC local governments which have passed a commitment in support of the province's Wood First Initiative. "By recognizing the benefits of wood and embracing its use, these local governments are addressing climate change, supporting our forest industry and enhancing prosperity not only in their own communities but for all of us living in BC."
Communities with Wood First commitments range from the largest centre, the City of Surrey to the smallest - the village of Port Clements on the Queen Charlotte Islands.
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