As National Forest Week is celebrated across the country, Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is seizing the opportunity to announce the recipients of its annual Awards of Excellence program. Today, FPAC and TELUS announced that Member of Parliament Todd Doherty, Dawson Creek Mayor Dale Bumstead, Radium Hot Springs Mayor Clara Reinhardt, and Alberta Northwest Species at Risk Committee, are being honoured as Community Champions by Canada’s forest products sector.
“In their own special way, each of those being recognized today have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the advancement of sustainability and responsible resource development in Canada,” said Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of FPAC. “From a federal and local government perspective, and as an organization dedicated to species management, those being honoured have provided a strong and thoughtful voice and truly represent what it means to be a community champion. We thank each of them for their service and dedication.”
FPAC’s Community Champion award, sponsored by TELUS, is presented to community leaders who demonstrate support for the forest sector and its contributions to Canada’s environmental, economic, and social priorities.
“Growing up in a forestry family, Doherty is intimately familiar with the issues and challenges facing this important industry,” reads a news release announcing the award. “As a young man, Doherty drove skidder, loader, tied chokers and ran chainsaw as a buckerman in the Cariboo Chilcotin. Doherty’s forestry roots run deep; he’s proud of them and he’s fiercely proud to stand up for and champion our hardworking families who depend on forestry for their livelihoods.”
Doherty was first elected in October 2015, re-elected in 2019 and again in 2021 – and has been a strong advocate for the Canadian softwood lumber industry. In the previous parliament, Doherty served as the Special Advisor on Mental Health and Wellness in the Conservative Shadow Cabinet. Doherty has also served as shadow minister for Transport, Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, as well as shadow minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway.
“As a long-time supporter and defender of Canada’s forestry industry in Parliament, it is an honour to receive FPAC’s 2022 Community Champion Award sponsored by TELUS. Growing up in a forestry family in northern British Columbia, I know firsthand how important this industry is to our region and to our country,” Doherty said in a news release. “Rest assured, I will continue to be a strong advocate for a softwood lumber deal and will remain steadfast in my fight for solutions to address the job losses our forestry industry is facing.”