Editor:
I hope Burns Lake realizes that their future is a political decision and recent history in the forest industry says your sawmill is not getting rebuilt.
Sawmills in McBride, Prince George, Bear Lake are closed, just to name a few.
The mishandling of the pine beetle epidemic has left lots of sawmills south of Prince George without fibre.
If your sawmill gets rebuilt, which other community loses theirs?
The decision will be based on who has the best chance of getting re-elected.
Political decisions are based on who makes the most noise, and there is an election coming.
People in Burns Lake you have telephones and Internet, which means you have the ability to make rebuilding your sawmill a hot political issue.
That's your best chance.
Phone and e-mail every politician, media outlet, organization and friend you can think of.
Make sure everybody on Facebook and Twitter knows what happened in Burns Lake.
Ask what am I supposed to do now? Get personal.
I guarantee that anybody that receives hundreds of calls or e-mails about the same issue from different people will respond.
Your story will be told from coast to coast.
A community banding together and fighting for its future is a good story.
You will gain the respect and sympathy of the people, more questions will be asked, the story will become bigger and soon it will become clear to our government that the smart political decision would be to have the sawmill in Burns Lake rebuilt.
It worked in Mackenzie.
Pat Bell had to break is own rules to guarantee the pulp mill a fibre supply.
Thanks to him and the McLeod Lake First Nation, the mill is up and running.
I suggest you ask why the mill does not already have a fibre supply?
I hate to say it but under the NDP all mills in B.C. had secure fibre supply.
If you do nothing your future looks bleak, if you fight back you can shape your own future.
Remember, one person can make a difference, hundreds of individuals working together can change the world.
Good luck,
Rick Berry
Mackenzie