Another round of cuts in Canada’s Ministry of Forests will see 700 staff laid off.
The move comes after 400 positions were lost in an earlier squeeze on costs and just days before the introduction of a new Forests Practices Code designed to cut costs for foresty companies while still protecting the environment.
The government aims to drop ministry staff levels by about 35% over three years as part of a plan to balance the budget.
But the opposition New Democratic Party says the layoffs and the code will weaken protection of the country’s forests and increase the risk of a further international boycott of British Columbia’s forest products.
Forest minister Mike de Jong countered by saying the forests will still be protected, albeit with fewer enforcement staff. A total of 65 jobs in the compliance and enforcement section will be eliminated in the latest round of cuts.
