Mungall asks Minister to reinstate Nelson BC Hydro jobs
By Nelson Daily Staff
A decision to cut at least six jobs from BC Hydro’s Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP) in Nelson must be rescinded, says the city’s MLA.
Michelle Mungall said on the last day of the Fall Legislative session that the Minister of Energy and Mines needed to reconsider cuts to BC Hydro that will see the Columbia FWCP office in Nelson shut down.
Lay-off notices given to Nelson staff last month will affect at least six jobs. It will be tremendous loss of expertise in the conservation and enhancement of fish and wildlife populations in the region, she said.
Mungall’s Oct. 18 letter to minister Rich Coleman noted FWCP biologists provide substantial benefit, not only to the restoration and conservation of species habitat, but also to research, education and communication in the region.
No response to that letter has been received.
“Selkirk College has been one benefactor of the vast scientific background and technical knowledge of these biologists,” she said. “FWCP staff have long served on advisory committees to Selkirk College Fish and Wildlife diploma programs. It will be a shame to lose those connections within in the region.”
Mungall brought up the layoffs in Nov. 24’s Question Period asking the Minister, again, to rescind the decision.
She pointed out that over 40 scientists and land management professionals have also written the ministry to ask that these jobs not be lost.
Although local FWCP offices in the province are being shut down, BC Hydro must continue to spend the allotted funding for conservation to mediate the effects damning has and continues to have on wildlife populations.
“The scientists and professionals could potentially benefit from the layoffs,” she said.
“They could very well be awarded contracts to fulfill the BC Hydro’s obligations in the province. Yet these people would still see these jobs maintained by long-term ministry staff because they understand the importance of the program’s role in coordination and continuity. We gain nothing by losing these positions in the region.”
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