ANOTHER DAY IN COURT

Yesterday (Tuesday, 17 April 2007), the Youbou TimberLess Society attended Supreme Court in Victoria and listened to arguments in the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in the case of James vs The Crown. Lawyer Joseph Arvay valiantly sought to reverse the Supreme Court's earlier res judicata decision of 2006 and thereby advance the previously certified class action lawsuit by former Youbou Sawmill workers.

The Youbou Sawmill was permanently shut down in January 2001 by TimberWest Forest Corporation. After the announcement of closure, it was publicly revealed by TimberWest that the British Columbia Ministry of Forests had permitted an alteration in the contractual language of TFL 46. It was this change, without consultation with communities or workers, that paved the way for the mill's demise. Since then, the workers have rallied and cried foul over the critical removal of "Clause 7."

The class action lawsuit seeks to expose the negligence of the Provincial Government and to extract compensation for the 200 workers whose livelihoods and lives have been so irrevocably disrupted.

Justices Huddart, Saunders, and Levine presided over yesterday's hearing in Courtroom 401. The onus is now on the Honourable Justices to open the way for an airing of the facts in this case. A decision of the court is anticipated sometime in the next two months and lawyer Arvay is cautiously optimistic of a favourable outcome.

It is important that justice be done and that justice is seen to be done. The Youbou TimberLess Society will continue to champion the welfare of these former woodworkers, their families, and their community.

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