B.C.’s Parliamentary Secretary for Forestry says more details about the government’s forest relief program will be coming soon.

While on the NL Morning News, Ravi Kahlon was asked about concerns raised by the Steelworkers Local 1-417 President, Marty Gibbons, who alleges that if workers accept government relief, they won’t be able to work for 18 months.

The Steelworkers say those conditions will be devastating especially for smaller communities.

“Well yeah, you know we’ve heard some concern being raised by the local president. Marty’s been, you know, he’s a champion for his workers and I got a great deal of respect for him, and those things are being worked on right now,” Kahlon said.

He adds the pieces that government has put in on forestry relief in BC’s Interior are slowly coming together.

“We’ve created the job coordination office which is being led by a former Steelworker, Frank Everett,” he added. “We’ve got a team now opened up, the locations for the workers to connect has connected. We’ve got people registering online for the pension bridging program. The pieces that we’ve put in are coming together.”

Kahlon says the government continues to engage with the Steelworkers and other affected groups in the various communities impacted by mill curtailments and closures in the BC forestry sector.