Minister Approves Development Plan
Moving Forward: On December 21, 2023, Pam Alexis, Minister of Agriculture and Food, in accordance with s.2 of the Farming and Fishing Industries Development Act, approved the Woodlot Product Development Council’s (WPDC) Development Plan Update 2023.
The Minister confirmed that the WPDC met all the Ministry’s criteria when conducting the plebiscite on October 28, 2023, at the WPDC Annual General Meeting, including achieving and surpassing the 66.7 percent threshold of votes required in favour of the update (97 per cent voted in favour).
This approval is an essential step in moving towards a single organization to effectively deliver more value to the woodlot licence program.
On January 4, 2024, the WPDC Board of Directors met and approved an Operational Transition Plan that includes the following timeline:
Approval of Development Plan by the Ministry of Agriculture and Foods by December 30, 2023.
WPDC to enter into a Contract with the FBCWA General Manager (Gord Chipman) under a separate contract as the Executive Director by January 15, 2024.
Gord Chipman to review old Operational Policies by December 28, 2023 then send to BOD by January 1, 2024. Goal to have BOD approval by February 13, 2024.
Review of Budget and Workplan by January 15, 2024. Approval by January 30, 2024.
Contract approval of contractor staff by February 15, 2024.
Notify the organizations that have formal agreements with the Federation that the WPDC will begin representing Woodlots in British Columbia with the intended transfer April 1, 2024.
Executive Director with Operational Financial signing authority by March 15, 2024, as approved by WPDC Board..
Signing authority of WPDC Bank Account by March 30, 2024 for the President, Treasurer, and Executive Director.
WPDC credit card assigned to Executive Director April 1, 2024.
April 15, 2024 Formalize the branding process (e.g. Woodlots BC) to determine the appropriate brand name for the organization going forward.
ED to develop the 5 year Strategic Plan for review by March 31, 2024 and approval from the WPDC Board of Directors by April 30, 2024. This plan will reflect the strategic planning session that was conducted by the Joint Task Force in January 2023.
Governance training for BOD to be completed within the first fiscal quarter of 2024 fiscal year.