"News headlines since the drafting of this report indicate that significant progress is being made. Although this is a positive sign, we do agree with the basic tenet of the report that further work needs to be considered."
Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services and Ministry of Forests and Range Management Response to the Auditor General's Report 5, January 2008, p. 67.

It is shocking that the Campbell government measures progress by "news headlines" rather than by the number of dead and injured. What's in their heads?

The Auditor General reported that: "Existing occupational health and safety regulations are not being adequately enforced in the industry." (p. 5) He also noted that: "currently, government requirements for timber harvest do not include safety as a major goal." That's an understatement when one reads the table on page 46 of the Auditor's report which states: "government has identified 11 resource and environmental objectives for FRPA (Forest and Range Practices Act), all of which are overridden by a 12th objective of not unduly reducing the supply of timber from British Columbia's forests." Those 11 considerations are: soil, timber, wildlife, fish, water, biodiversity, cultural heritage resources, resource features, recreation resources, visual quality and forage and associated plant communities. There you have it! The Campbell government amended the Forest and Range Practices Act in 2004 and put values most British Columbians hold dear below "not unduly reducing the supply of timber"; safety isn't even on the list of the 11 lesser values.

Throughout its response to the Auditor the government stressed the role of the industry and the attitude that "the industry has historically characterized its operating environment as inherently unsafe". The response failed to draw attention to the Campbell government's emphasis on deregulation. It is hard to balance the policy to reduce regulations with the Auditor's recommendation that: "the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services ensure that a mandatory prequalification requirement for all firms is put in place, ensuring that forest industry firms, regardless of the size of the entity, be required to demonstrate safe operation and organization as a precondition for working in the industry." The government's response to that recommendation started by saying: "The Ministries of Labour and Citizens' Services and Forests and Range believe that prequalification strategies, where contract compliance is vigorously supported by owners, licensees and employers, can have a significant positive impact on safety." Talk about weasel-words! When confronted with the need to increase regulation, the Campbell government failed to accept responsibility and shifted responsibility to the industry. The Campbell government needs to recognize that it is responsible for regulating what happens in the woods, and it is ultimately responsible for the failures identified in the Auditor General's report.