Quebec's forestry plan could disappoint some

The Quebecgovernment's forestry crisis planexpected to beunveiled on Fridayby Premier Jean Charest will disappoint key industry players, according to reports.

Mill closures have multiplied this fall as the forestry industryreacts to a sluggish U.S. softwood market and a strong Canadian dollar. More than 2,000 Quebecers in the sector have lost their jobs since early September.

But the plan will focus more on assisting laid-off workers ages 55 to 64, instead of providing a large reduction in fibre costs to businesses, according to the Canadian Press.

Older workers will be eligible for financial support until they retire, the news agency reports.

The forestrysector has been lobbying for a $10 reduction in wood fibre cost, but the Charest government wants to avoid subsidizing the industry, government sources told the agency.

Quebec would prefer to encourage long-term restructuring within the sector, and willprovide loans and bring in new measures to improve forest management, the sources said.