Friday, February 1, 2013

Privatization of BC Public Forests?

Last Sunday - Ben Parfitt from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives suggested that the BC Liberals' are planning legislation for the forthcoming BC Legislature session to allow the Minister of Forests, by the stroke of a pen, to allow private control over BC Public forest lands without prior input/notification to the public - read that here

A few days - Hon. Stephen Thomson, BC's Minister of Forests, fired back at Mr. Parfitt and said his column was 'highly speculative'.  Read Thomson's letter here with both a response from Mr. Parfitt here and a response by Ind. Cariboo-North MLA Bob Simpson who calls the letter from Minister Thomson to Mr. Parfitt as 'pure fiction' - read here

MLA Simpson also elaborates more on this topic here.  MLA Simpson also spoke to CKNW yesterday afternoon at 5:35pm.  You can do a search for the file in CKNW's Audio Vault here

I don't think that there is any political appetite amongst the general public to do what Mr. Parfitt suggests. Meanwhile - you can read the Special Committee for Timber Supply Final Report for yourself here.  The same report that Minister Thomson says guides the BC Government actions, going forward, to have a sustainable forest sector in light of challenges facing communities like Burns Lake

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