Natural Resources committee  We've actually been very fortunate. I think the excitement of our announcement has really captured a lot of interest. We've had a lot of people who are excited about the opportunity and have come to us looking to join the team. On that particular facility, we've been very fortunate in our area, the Kootenay area.

Natural Resources committee  To broaden the answer then, I've heard from some of my colleagues in other parts of the industry that they are having issues. I actually just joined the standing committee with BC Wood in talking about a plan on how we're going to put in training for different types of roles throughout the province.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, I think the biggest thing right now is that mass timber is new and the engineers, architects and developers are all excited about it, but many of them don't know a lot about it. A lot of false things have happened. Jobs have been quoted based on some type of a.... I don't even know sometimes where the information came from.

Natural Resources committee  Okay, thanks.

Natural Resources committee  I'd like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak today. I've got Ryan Marshall on the call as well. He is our finance manager. I'll give you a bit of a history of Kalesnikoff Lumber. We started in 1939. The company was started by my grandfather and two brothers. In those days, you built roads by hand, logged with a horse and cut lumber with a single-cylinder headrig.

International Trade committee  No.

International Trade committee  COFI represents a certain group in B.C.

International Trade committee  Madam Chair, if I can, just one second.

International Trade committee  These groups are smaller independents. We're not represented by COFI, but when there's a— ILMA, your Interior Lumber Manufacturers' Association, which I'm the chair of, and Andy is the chair of his, doesn't get called. It's always COFI that gets called, so that has to change as well.

International Trade committee  Yes, I can comment on that. One thing I am very much afraid of is this new deal. The federal government and the provincial government have both told us to diversify away from the U.S. market, so we have, but now we have no shipments of record importing. If there's a deal made and the U.S. coalition really wants a quota deal, we're screwed.

International Trade committee  No, because we were told to diversify, which we did. You're asking about a deal. I'm very puzzled that it would be out there, and I'm not an expert. What happens to us, all of us, including Andy, is that we are kept in the dark most of the time. These deals are made, and when Andy refers to big companies, we're talking about Canfor, West Fraser, Interfor, and Resolute.

International Trade committee  I don't disagree. Apparently we can't go skating because it's slushy, but I don't know how that could happen when it's so cold. Anyway, at the end of the day, somebody needs to start to listen to the small operators across this country. That is not happening, and that is very frustrating when we are the ones who are staying in our communities and are the ones employing people.

International Trade committee  Sure. I agree with what Andy said. If we don't have that, what do we have? That's the problem. The WTO, for us, seems to have weakened. We need a mechanism. We must have something when these unfair threats are made, some way of challenging them. We're dealing with a massive engine in the U.S., with the softwood lumber coalition there.

International Trade committee  Thank you very much. Wow. My presentation is going to be a little simpler, and I think my friend Andy Rielly made a good choice of staying at home in B.C., because I'm probably going to be trapped here until spring by the sounds of what's going on outside. Anyway, thank you for your time.