Yesterday Cortes Currents published a story about local governments asking the BC government to defer logging in old-growth forests until the recommendations of the province’s Old Growth Strategic Review have been implemented. At the bottom of that story there are links to reports from the Comox Valley Regional District and the municipal governments of Courtenay, Cumberland, Lantzville, Metchosin, Nanaimo, Powell River, Port Moody, and Victoria. The Capital Regional District (CRD), which represents 13 municipalities and three electoral areas in Southern Vancouver Island, was going to vote on a similar resolution Wednesday, but the Pacheedaht First Nation said this would be a violation of the sovereignty and wishes of their nation. The CRD has not yet published the minutes of that Board meeting. Locally, Geraldine Kenny, from Sierra Quadra is asking the SRD (Strathcona Regional District) to support the old Growth Strategic Logging Review. 

Support Old Growth Strategic Logging Review 

“Be it resolved that the SRD call on the provincial government to immediately defer logging in all high productivity, rare, old and mostly intact old-growth forests as recommended by the Old-Growth Strategic Review, pending the implementation of all 14 of the panel’s recommendations,” said Kenny.

“We ask that the SRD call on the Government of British Columbia to allocate sufficient funding to enact deferrals in an economically just manner, and in the full spirit of reconciliation to support the economic transition of affected First Nations communities—and all non-First Nations communities, too— from unsustainable old-growth logging to the development of long-term sustainable local economies.”

Ten years to address Climate Change

“The United Nations[ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has determined that we now have less than ten years to do everything possible to reduce global emissions and avoid climate catastrophe. The protection of primary forests has been identified as one of the best global solutions to address climate change. The BC government and all elected officials must act quickly to protect these globally significant carbon sinks. It is the government’s responsibility to the people of British Columbia to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and associated land-use changes through an immediate ban on old-growth logging.”

“Public support for protecting old-growth is evident: 55,000+ people have signed a petition to end logging in at-risk old-growth forests across B.C. Thousands more have sent emails, made phone calls, and reached out on social media. More broadly, the Sierra Club’s recent polling indicates that over 90% of people living in British Columbia support action to protect endangered old-growth forests.”

Shew concluded, “We demand that our elected officials act as climate leaders and immediately stop the destruction of the globally essential carbon sinks that are BC’s remaining old-growth forests. It is encouraging that the Resolution to do so has been supported to date by the communities of Cumberland, CVRD, Lantzville, Nanaimo, Port Renfrew, Metchosin, Colwood and Powell River, with more signing on daily.”

Campbell River’s opposing resolution

Half of the Strathcona Regional District Director’s are also members of Campbell River’s cit council, which recently passed a resolution stating, in part:

“WHEREAS the viability of the forest sector is currently threatened by the actions of anti-logging organizations, local governments (Nanaimo), and reporting by Media;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED That City Council immediately provide an elevated direct response of support for Forest operations based on fact and science;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this response be directed to all local governments, First Nations, the Premier and Minister of Forests, Minister of Municipal Affairs and MLA’s, and Media outlets, with copies to forest sector companies, COFI, TLA, and Resource Works.”

Moving Forward

Garaldine Kenny’s  letter was not in the SRD’s list of correspondence for the May 12th meeting, which means it will most likely be up for review of May 26th.

Meanwhile, Geraldine Kenny will be bringing a petition for people to sign to the Quadra Market on Saturday, May 15th, and is booking a table at Mansons Friday Market on Cortes Island.

Links of Interest:

• (Gov of BC) A NEW FUTURE FOR OLD FORESTS: A Strategic Review of How British Columbia Manages for Old Forests Within its Ancient Ecosystems
• (Cortes Currents) Old Growth forest initiative checked by aboriginal title issues
• (Cortes Currents) articles about, or mentioning, the local government initiative to support the provinces Old Growth Strategic Review
• (Cortes Currents) articles about, or mentioning, old growth forests

Top photo credit: Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner Andrea Inness beside an unprotected 14 foot wide red cedar tree in the Nahmint Valley near Port Alberni – Courtesy TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance

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