FRIDAY, DECEMBER 05, 2003

VANCOUVER…. The Building Trades Council released the contents of a letter sent today to Federal Minister for Human Resources, the Honourable Jane Stewart, which strongly protests the decision to allow foreign workers to dismantle a pulp mill in Gold River, BC. According to the letter, the twelve (12) workers from India, who will not receive their wages until they return to India, are allegedly being housed, six to a room, in a motel in Gold River. The Building Trades complaint is that highly skilled BC workers are unemployed and that the work should have been done by trades qualified workers.

“If this is the federal Liberal answer to the potential skills shortage, it appears to be highly inappropriate and untimely,” said Wayne Peppard, Executive Director for the Building Trades Council. “This is the foot in the door that will open future work to go to foreign nationals, while unemployed BC workers sit at home,” Peppard added.

The letter to Minister Stewart was copied to Minister for National Revenue, the Honourable Elinor Caplan. The Building Trades leader was disturbed that the wages earned by the foreign workers are going untaxed. “Not only are we losing the work, we’re losing the tax revenue,” Peppard said in reference to the lost revenue for the federal government.

The Building Trades also raised the issue of damage to the local community. “Gold River is seeing next to nothing in the way of benefits from this project,” Peppard charged. “These are serious questions that need answers,” Peppard added. “As each day goes by without an answer, the people of Gold River, BC, workers and the Canadian public are losing out to foreign workers,” Peppard concluded.

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For further information contact Wayne Peppard at 604-916-0027 (cellular) opeiu 15

For further information contact 

the BCYT-BCTC office:  604-291-9020

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