In the year of 2000, if you were registered with WCB under the Manual Tree Fallers classification unit, your assessment rates were about to sky rocket; putting a lot of contract fallers in the poor house and making it financially impossible for someone to set up a company under this CU. This was not right. Initial meetings were set up between the Fallers, WCB and Industry Reps to discuss this matter. The Western Fallers Association was spawned to give us a politically correct voice at these meetings. The final outcome, after nearly two years of meetings, a lot of lobbying by us throughout the Forest Industry and countless written submissions, was that the rate structure was reversed; taking approximately ten million dollars of assessments, annually, off the shoulders of the Independent/ Contract Falling community and putting it back on Industry, where it belongs.

The Western Fallers Association is currently governed by a ten person Board of Directors; all are active fallers and come from areas throughout the province of B.C. There is also a Chairman, Secretary/Treasurer and a Recording Secretary. Our constitution was registered with the Province on June 24, 2002 and we chose to adopt and continue to operate under the Bylaws set out in chapter 433, schedule B of the British Columbia Societies Act.

To date, the WFA gives its members representation with the Assessments, Prevention, Claims and Policy and Research Divisions of WCB. We have been involved with the Provincial Forest Safety Task Force and the Implementation Team that came out of that. We are also involved as a founding member and currently hold a seat on the newly formed BC Forest Safety Council.

We are known, recognized and meet with members of four provincial logging associations, as well as the IWA-Steelworkers to discuss our issues. The Western Fallers Association is 'Fallers representing Fallers'. Check out the web site, you should find it interesting!

The WFA Board of Directors
Tim De Gagne
Ray Therrien
Aaron Frye
Jordan Nicolussi
Dave Gaskill 		Revelstoke
Terrace
Coldstream
Prince George
Nanaimo 		Dominic Gagnon
Barry Hawes
Bill Boardman
Dave Parkin
Bruce Fleenor 		Terrace
Armstrong
Sooke
Parksville
Chilliwack

Chairman
Secretary/Treasurer
Recording Secretary
Mike Mckibbin
Mack Schat
Wendy Gaskill


Constitution
Certificate Of Incorporation