Replant.ca - Tree Planting Canada

jdtesluk

A certain company starting with "Z" went up to Quesnel nearly 15 years ago, and lots of people scratched their heads.
They're still there, and have done just fine. That line that runs east-west through Bill's puddle.....it's an imaginary line!

jdtesluk

This is an interesting conversation. We might consider not only worker migration, but also potential contractor migration. If the bidding (and contract price) landscape changes in a way that levels things off between regions and different types of companies, one may think there would be potential fo...

jdtesluk

I think at this point, the people who should be most worried should be the foresters at private mills. If they're paying a decent price for their direct award work, they shouldn't have any problem. But if they've been paying sub-par pricing in the past few years because they had a contractor over a...

jdtesluk

I did not so much ask questions, as provide a perspective on the industry with respect to the workforce and factors pushing and pulling them out. I reviewed the numbers related to minimum wage increases, and spoke about what that means in terms of ensuring workers are provided with sufficient financ...

jdtesluk

Interesting take Cyper... Your analysis about aggressive recruitment of vets, and cost of rookies is certainly one for companies to consider. As for your analysis of the trees, I would add some context there...... I would estimate at least 60% of the trees are done by WFCA contractors. I confine thi...

jdtesluk

I'd say no. In reality, we need all the contractors - every one of them, to handle the industry volume. If the industry cannot manage the volume of trees, then future funding for important reforestation programs may disappear. There is fierce competition among them, but beneath there is a growing aw...

jdtesluk

Indeed all input is good, and the eastern perspective is welcome! We can look at the challenges of recruitment and retention as a BC phenomenon....but really there is a national dimension to this as well, and the conditions of planting in Ontario still matter. Many BC contractors believe that if Ont...

jdtesluk

I posed this question already in KKRF (Facebook), and am interested what Replant denizens may have to say. Next week, tree planting contractors from around BC will meet in Kamloops to discuss issues around the number of trees to be planted, availability of work, and changes in wage regulations.....T...

jdtesluk

Except the foreign labour strategy has zero guarantee of success, and would amount to a catastrophe for any company that botched it. When people think of "foreign labour" there is an unfortunate tendency to think of generic desperate workers that will eagerly take on any menial job for the...

jdtesluk

No more than the total cost of the hotel. If they pay $100 and have two people in the room, they can charge you $50 each. Most companies I know of heavily subsidize motel-hotel-lodge costs, and most keep them below the CAMP cost limit of $25 (plus tax). In the few situations where I have seen (subst...

jdtesluk

Sad news. No....tragic news befalls the pie and coffee world. The New Leaf in Burns Lake has changed owners....the new ones no longer support my people......no pie. I barely made it to Houston without crying. At least Pleasant Valley Cafe still has three kinds (on average) available (west side of to...

jdtesluk

The biggest change may actually be employees screening companies before signing on. I am aware of people having "inflammatory" posts reviewed by contractors, and that affecting their employment. However, for the most part I don't think there is much in terms of consistent screening. In the...

jdtesluk

100 Dollar House

Oh ouch

jdtesluk

Permethrin treated (PT) clothes result in a far far lower level of bodily absorption than applying directly to skin, and is rated by various health agencies as a superior option compared to deet or other chemicals direct to skin. The PT clothes are not actually licensed to be sold as "tick-repe...

jdtesluk

I'm with you Cypher. Where some find a dead end, others find a shortcut to the highway, or at least a nice street to hang out on for a while. Planting is no more a dead end that many other seasonal jobs. I just returned from a ski weekend with a bunch of lifers. A couple of them had built a lodge wi...

jdtesluk

I have to say, the buddy with the glass eye has made the absolute most of it, dropping it in people's drinks, pulling it out to clean it, and messing with the optometrist who can't figure out why his pupil dilation is absent. At an event last year, I knew he was about to give a big speech. So I hand...

jdtesluk

Har har. However, glad you brought that up! Glass eyes actually cost thousands of dollars. Unless of course you prefer to improvise.

jdtesluk

We've all seen it. Someone get a poke in the eye, then either the licensee or someone else hands out a bunch of cheap "safety" glasses, that A) look awful,.... B) have terrible optics that actually distort your vision,.... C) fit poorly and fall off your face every few trees,......and wors...

jdtesluk

Good point Scooter. It shows that fentanyl and carfentanyl are not just street-junkie materials....the killer drugs are everywhere, and they don't discriminate. That might be a helpful piece of context when communicating to workers...if that is part of the conversation.

jdtesluk

First crew I knew of doing 3-1's was Gord Saunder's Zanzibar crew in Canal Flats. It is definitely getting more traction in the industry, primarily due to the perceived reduction of burn-out among the planters. As Gordie explained it to me, that 4th day of a 4-1 is so often a bummer, where people ki...

jdtesluk

Cyper- it may come up. But I can honestly say it will take a good crowd of people demanding to make it happen. I absolutely hear you in that most other jobs don't have these fees attached, at least in forestry and resource work. Ultimately it comes down to one pot of money, and everyone wants their ...

jdtesluk

An interesting topic, but I think that concern about overall worker payments is the bigger issue. I won't dive into the argument about whether camp fees hurt faster or slower planters more, because I honestly think the difference is too small to really spend energy upon. Instead, see above comment. ...

jdtesluk

Not to mention, -Sexual harassment and how to tackle this in your company -Lyme disease (presentation by expert entomologist) -Workshops on tendo taping -aaaaaaaand a workshop with Employment Standards.....pretty key in anticipation of hikes in minimal wage! Oh yeah, there's also a generous hospital...

jdtesluk

Point taken Salbrecher. I think the "dirty secret" implication is that I was personally shocked to learn of this arrangement, and generally feel that the silviculture investment in the forests pales in comparison to the riches extracted. I would expect that many BC'ers would be surprised t...

jdtesluk

Good point Triple S. Ostensibly the silviculture and harvesting arms would be objectively separate. However, there is also the BC Forest Practices Board, which oversees all forestry, including BCTS, and they can step in and take action if something is not being done right. Of course, they have to kn...

jdtesluk

I'm not going to source my information because that is simply too much to ask on an open forum, and for all I know you're writing a paper on this and I wouldn't want to make it too easy for you. However, I can tell you that the law you speak of (not sure of year) requires companies to bring harveste...

jdtesluk

I suggest that going between a "highballer" vs a speed spade should consider hand-size. If you have big ape-mitts, then the wider blade is good, whereas the speed spade is better suited for smaller dainty pianist hands. Too big of a hole, and you'll work too hard to close it. Too small, an...

jdtesluk

To be clear, I wear Canadian Logger full lace leathers. Rather old school boots, and REALLY stiff and supportive. I keep my caulks sharp, and feel comfortable with just part of the sole dug into the ground. I don't have the Meindls, but have heard almost universally good things about them. I've seen...

jdtesluk

Certainly some boots will hold better than others, with the key thing really being the shank. I get a similar effect in my caulks, but it's less annoying with my full lace-up leathers. I skip the eyelets right over the ankle crease to retain flexibility, but keep "em tight the rest of the way u...

jdtesluk

We called that infernal trailer "the bucket". Had some nasty hauls up switchbacks on the west bank of Kinbasket, Trident Peak I think it was called. One ride, Heidi-Ann and I broke out into a gleeful rendition of "Jingle-bucket" (Jingle bells) and sang the whole thing. Bucket dri...

jdtesluk

There is also an applied dimension. Consider this. When you ride your bike in the cold, you tend to squeeze the bars, and have trouble shifting gears with your chilly digits. Same thing applies to shovels and trees. People compensate for feeling with force--- can't move the fingers around the tree a...

jdtesluk

Wow. That's a heavy situation, and some potentially "serious" charges. However, I will point out that charges under an OHS Act are not nearly as serious as a supervisor may face under the Criminal Code...and it is possible for a supervisor to be charged criminally for similar types of situ...

jdtesluk

I'm not sure why you're limiting your frustration to flagging. I'd suggest broadening out to the planting industry in general. I think one may run out of balls to suck in very short order. Ok, I just wrote that. Please go back in thread to understand the context. Really. Seriously. I do not want to...

jdtesluk

Fairly comprehensive list, but you missed a few. -Paying for flagging tape sucks balls -Having YOUR flagging tape be the one trailing 100 feet out the back of the pick-up sucks balls -Being sent in to finish an unflagged piece sucks balls -Having last choice of only crap flag colors sucks balls Lots...

jdtesluk

See "Hey watch this!"

jdtesluk

I'm guessing that the decline of hits is largely based on A) education, and B) automation of agricultural industries and other outdoor work....fewer young men standing out in the field and more sitting inside the safe comfy cab of their wheeled threshers and tractors. As for the males in July, well ...

jdtesluk

RPF- important thoughts you offer. This wage change (if it occurs) should also be seen within the broader context. Indeed, tweaking the wage is only adjusting one part of society, and will not solve bigger problems for planters or other workers as the rest of the system re-adjusts around them. Think...

jdtesluk

Shaving hours is of course absolutely and unquestionably illegal. This is very clearly addressed in the guidelines for 37.9 of the Employment Standards Regulation. Hours MUST be calculated portal to portal. Yes, come companies may consider doing this. However, they do so at peril of their own econom...

jdtesluk

The table is a bit tricky to read. The case is actually as follows:

Defendants
Corsair Field Services Ltd. and Jason Carey Lorraine

Plaintiff
Max Fuel Distributors Ltd.

Claim
$30,059 for fuel and other goods.

jdtesluk

Has anyone been pulled off the job or layed off altogether due to the wildfires?

Anyone have any camp evacs or anything so far?

Hoping everyone stays safe and stays cool out there. I overdid it with a wheelbarrow and a shovel today. Easy to do in this heat.

jdtesluk

Corsair (AND owner) on the list of companies being sued - Vancouver Supreme Court: https://www.biv.com/article/2017/4/whos ... l-11-2017/

jdtesluk

Bear Claw Lodge....Cache Creek. Also replete with Elvis bust and jukebox, with welcoming pie carousel. Pie...it's made on premises. Had the blueberry. Decently good, a little too much goo and not enough berries, crust was a bit bland. Still passable. Coffee was no better than average. The quest cont...

jdtesluk

Pie and coffee continues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Station House restaurant in Barriere Pie carousel all the way! It's your kind of place if you want the local preacher going table to table to talk about your sins, a waitress that know's everyone's egg preferences, Elvis hiding out from the public while ...

jdtesluk

The entire system is based on worker complaints. It is up to workers to name companies that do not comply, and to tell others about their experiences. It would be irresponsible of me to peddle in rumors, even with reliable sources. Moreover, my goal here was not to draw out names. It was specificall...

jdtesluk

I'm going to create a new acronym here. WEP. Wage Equivalent Production. This means planting enough trees that your production-based pay meets or surpasses what you would be guaranteed according to Employment Standards Act 37.9 wage regulations.

jdtesluk

The more I think about it, the bigger of an issue this seems. The implications could have domino effects. >>Companies will not just be able to shave money from their higher-producers to subsidize low-producers. High-ballers would simply walk en-mass and congregate where prices permit them to achieve...

jdtesluk

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/premier-kathleen-wynne-announces-ontario-will-boost-minimum-wage-to-15-an-hour-by-2019 One really really has to wonder what would happen, if the minimal wage in BC went up to $15. I'm just thinking of this as a hypothetical, and considering...

jdtesluk

Just a random note to Newforest. If you're ever up in BC, let us all know. I'll be front of the line to buy you a pint. Some stories we could share.

jdtesluk

1) Power eating for power planting. Check it here: http://selkirk.ca/treeplanting/power-planting-nutritional-program 2) Get a slow cooker. In the morning throw in meat (if you carnivize), veggies, and chili sauce or whatever you like. Press button. Come home, sit down to hot delicious goodness, whil...

jdtesluk

Just a note, that link includes a power point slide show with a TONNE of helpful information. Contractors should be encouraged to review this information with their crews.

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