Forest Minister Pat Bell’s has changed his tune on the effects of the pine beetle epidemic, having abandoned the false optimism he displayed before the election.

Bell’s admission of failure yesterday mirrors the B.C. Liberals’ record on the deficit and on the economy: claim everything is fine until the election, and wait until after the election to admit the awful truth.

What Minister Bell said (before the election)

“What we're finding now is clearly we are going to have a much longer shelf life and we think the opportunity to continue to harvest these stands in the Central Interior part of the province extends well into the mid 2020s before we see any significant downfall.”

Pat Bell (in the Prince George Citizen), March 5, 2009

What Minister Bell said (after the election)

“As a result of the mountain pine beetles and decisions that have been made around species-at-risk recovery strategies and land-use planning, there is a very real possibility that we will run out of trees.”

Pat Bell (in the Vancouver Sun), Sept. 21, 2009