CDT Facts

The three Community Development Trust programs are making a positive difference in the lives of British Columbia’s forest workers, their families and their communities.

Transitional Assistance Program

• Designed to help forest workers age 60 and up as of Dec. 31, 2009 retire early or move to other opportunities.
• Also creates opportunities for laid-off workers to be recalled.
• Provides up to $35,000 to older forest workers who are interested in leaving their employment and whose employers agree that this will not create a skills shortage.
• The amount of funding available to an individual worker is based on age and years in the forest industry. This amount is reduced by any severance payments the worker receives.”
• Applications were being accepted from forest workers over the age of 60 from July 1, 2009 to August 31, 2009. Over 1,000 applications were received. Over half of these are already processed
• About $65 million in funding, assisting approximately 1,700 workers, was allocated in 2008. This leaves about $20 million to fund applications in 2009.
  

Tuition Assistance Program

• Provides forest workers who are on layoff of four months or longer with funding for tuition and required books to upgrade their skills and education.
• The program helps laid-off forest workers improve their future employability. Those interested in careers in other sectors can gain the skills and qualifications they need to achieve their goals.
• Funding of up to $5,000 is available for up to a year’s tuition for one or more courses, and can also be used to help cover the cost of mandatory fees and required books.
• Program funding can be used for a wide range of courses offered at designated public or private schools located in B.C.
• Approximately 2,700 workers have been approved for funding as of August 31, 2009.
• Applications are being accepted on an ongoing basis until March 31, 2011.
  

Job Opportunities Program

• Designed to create short-term job opportunities for laid-off forest workers by funding projects that create community-based jobs for up to six months in and near forest-dependent communities.
• Applications from forest-dependent communities or organizations, or forest licensees and contractors working in cooperation with forest-dependent communities until July 24, 2009.
• These jobs provide workers with short-term employment and income. Workers are paid a living wage that is consistent with the skills and experience required to carry out the work.
• By providing short-term jobs in communities affected by lay-offs, local economies benefit from the income and, when market conditions improve, communities will have access to the skills of workers in the area who are available to go back to work for local forest industry employers.
• The work being carried out through Job Opportunities Program-funded projects is benefiting local communities in a variety of ways:
  • Improving local recreation and tourism.
  • Restoring and improving natural areas.
  • Enhancing productive forests.
  • Reducing forest fire risk.
•  504 JOP project applications were received during the latest intake period, which closed July 24, 2009.
• Applicants will be contacted when the review process has been completed.
  

• 1-877-238-8882 from B.C. communities outside Victoria
• 250-387-5349 from Victoria
• email: cdt@gov.bc.ca