for those who have 5 minutes to spare
take a simple, yet effective ACTION :
post a comment on the following sites:
http://www.islandtimberlands.com/contact.html
D.Sihota, President of Island Timberlands
dsihota@islandtimberlands.com
http://www.brookfieldproperties.com/contact/
Nicholas Simons, MLA
#109 4675 Marine Ave. Powell River
nicholas.simons.mla@leg.bc.ca
phone Colin Palmer Powell River Regional District
chair and director of area "C" 604-487-4470
PHONE Powell River Energy
tell them to regulate and mimic natural flow
of water being released from the Lois lake Damn
Fish need consistent flows of water
(this year salmon were spawning and their eggs went dry and died)
Powell River Energy Inc
(604) 485-2223
for those with more time
mail a letters to:
Island Timberlands Limited Partnership
5th Floor, 65 Front Street
Nanaimo, BC Canada
V9R 5H9
Fax: (250) 755-3540
(FYI Powell I.T. is owned by Brookfield.)
Brookfield properties
Brookfield Place
181 Bay Street, Suite 330
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2T3
Tel: 416.369.2300
Fax: 416.369.2301
Powell River Energy Inc
(604) 485-2223
201-4400 Marine Avenue
Powell River, BC, Canada
(FYI Powell River Energy is owned by Brookfield too...)
on FaceBook?
join our SAVE EAGLE RIVER group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8119102430
Map of Proposed Greenway Corridor
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Gordon Campbell presiding over destruction of BC forest industry say Steelworkers
Jan 17, 2008
CNW Group
By Stephen Hunt
United Steelworkers' (USW) Western Canada
Director Stephen Hunt said Thursday that BC Premier Gordon Campbell is
presiding over the destruction of the province's most important employer and
economic engine - the forest industry.
Campbell, who is to make a keynote address to the Truck Loggers'
Association's 65 Annual Convention on Friday, promised the revitalization of
the BC forest industry at the same convention five years ago. Since then,
permanent closures of wood-processing facilities and woodlands operations have
spun out of control.
This week another major coastal woodlands contractor, Munns Lumber of
Duncan, declared it could no longer operate on the BC Coast. It was the fourth
major contractor on the Coast within the last year to declare that it could no
longer meet costs.
"Since Gordon Campbell took power in May 2001, there have been over
20,000 industry jobs lost in the mills and woods, including the permanent
closures of at least 43 wood-processing facilities in province. Another
6 mills are down indefinitely," said Hunt. "The unwritten future legacy of the
Campbell government promises to be the hollowing out and destruction of the BC
forest industry."
In the same seven-year period, some 30 million cubic meters of raw logs
have been exported from BC, assisting competitors in the U.S. and economic
development in foreign countries.
"We agree with the TLA that Campbell's forest policies have transferred
too much power to the few major licensees that operate on the BC Coast," said
Hunt. "TLA member companies and USW members have paid a high price for a
distorted market system, uncontrolled log exports, unprecedented wood waste
and high-grading, the loss of cut control and appurtenance provisions, and
uncontrolled tenure transfers.
"We also agree with the TLA that non-timber values are driving government
policy. Without any public scrutiny, BC Forest Minister Rich Coleman, who is
under investigation by the Auditor-General's office, has allowed the removal
of private lands from tree farm license administration to be used for real
estate development.
"Unfortunately the destruction of the province's most vital industry has
been portrayed in the mainstream media as a result of the rising Canadian
dollar and low lumber prices. Meanwhile, the premier refuses government
intervention and allows the backbone of many BC communities to be demolished
at the same time as it pockets refunded border taxes from the Harper-Bush
softwood lumber agreement."
CNW Group
By Stephen Hunt
United Steelworkers' (USW) Western Canada
Director Stephen Hunt said Thursday that BC Premier Gordon Campbell is
presiding over the destruction of the province's most important employer and
economic engine - the forest industry.
Campbell, who is to make a keynote address to the Truck Loggers'
Association's 65 Annual Convention on Friday, promised the revitalization of
the BC forest industry at the same convention five years ago. Since then,
permanent closures of wood-processing facilities and woodlands operations have
spun out of control.
This week another major coastal woodlands contractor, Munns Lumber of
Duncan, declared it could no longer operate on the BC Coast. It was the fourth
major contractor on the Coast within the last year to declare that it could no
longer meet costs.
"Since Gordon Campbell took power in May 2001, there have been over
20,000 industry jobs lost in the mills and woods, including the permanent
closures of at least 43 wood-processing facilities in province. Another
6 mills are down indefinitely," said Hunt. "The unwritten future legacy of the
Campbell government promises to be the hollowing out and destruction of the BC
forest industry."
In the same seven-year period, some 30 million cubic meters of raw logs
have been exported from BC, assisting competitors in the U.S. and economic
development in foreign countries.
"We agree with the TLA that Campbell's forest policies have transferred
too much power to the few major licensees that operate on the BC Coast," said
Hunt. "TLA member companies and USW members have paid a high price for a
distorted market system, uncontrolled log exports, unprecedented wood waste
and high-grading, the loss of cut control and appurtenance provisions, and
uncontrolled tenure transfers.
"We also agree with the TLA that non-timber values are driving government
policy. Without any public scrutiny, BC Forest Minister Rich Coleman, who is
under investigation by the Auditor-General's office, has allowed the removal
of private lands from tree farm license administration to be used for real
estate development.
"Unfortunately the destruction of the province's most vital industry has
been portrayed in the mainstream media as a result of the rising Canadian
dollar and low lumber prices. Meanwhile, the premier refuses government
intervention and allows the backbone of many BC communities to be demolished
at the same time as it pockets refunded border taxes from the Harper-Bush
softwood lumber agreement."
THE IRONY...
Early in November I helped haul a dead eagle out of, oddly enough, Eagle River...I doubt the poor bird appreciated the irony...for me though it was a pretty interesting experience...naturally, I would have far preferred to see it swooping down on a salmon or something...but such was not my lot on this day...my hiking partners and I looked for clues as to what have might have killed the thing...nothing obvious presented itself...no bullet holes, no signs of disease or hunger...other than being, you know, dead it looked gorgeous and healthy...well, being stumped for a probable cause (and sentimental) we gave it a decent burial and moved on.
It has since occurred to me that we missed the most obvious cause of death...suicide.
This happened the very week that logging began along the Eagle River...Island Timberlands contractors brought in their machines and trees were falling at an impressive rate...and in my dark heart I can picture this glorious eagle soaring high above, surveying the carnage...not only along the river, but far into the back country (where all hell has broken loose) and saying, "oh, bugger it."
Island Timberlands made a cut into the Greenway Corridor...then backed off when FOER protested...but they'll be returning to cut down the rest of it, the whole enchilada, in the Spring...though they refuse to define what Spring actually means to them...could be the sight of the first daffodil...could be the vernal equinox, March Break or maybe just the warmest, driest day in February...hard to say...I guess there's no point making a real commitment 'cause then they'd have to live up to it...you know, like I teach my kid to do.
Anyway, interesting times...personally, I'm not ready to say. "oh, bugger it" just yet...ever, actually...so...if solutions can't be found, if the community is not respected (and fat chance of that), I'm willing to put myself in front of the machines (and hopefully not pee my pants)...what's another year in court? I wouldn't ask anybody else to do it...but it would be good if it did come down to that last desperate stand that there were witnesses...it's your river, not theirs...the government stole it from us and gave it away...cheers.
It has since occurred to me that we missed the most obvious cause of death...suicide.
This happened the very week that logging began along the Eagle River...Island Timberlands contractors brought in their machines and trees were falling at an impressive rate...and in my dark heart I can picture this glorious eagle soaring high above, surveying the carnage...not only along the river, but far into the back country (where all hell has broken loose) and saying, "oh, bugger it."
Island Timberlands made a cut into the Greenway Corridor...then backed off when FOER protested...but they'll be returning to cut down the rest of it, the whole enchilada, in the Spring...though they refuse to define what Spring actually means to them...could be the sight of the first daffodil...could be the vernal equinox, March Break or maybe just the warmest, driest day in February...hard to say...I guess there's no point making a real commitment 'cause then they'd have to live up to it...you know, like I teach my kid to do.
Anyway, interesting times...personally, I'm not ready to say. "oh, bugger it" just yet...ever, actually...so...if solutions can't be found, if the community is not respected (and fat chance of that), I'm willing to put myself in front of the machines (and hopefully not pee my pants)...what's another year in court? I wouldn't ask anybody else to do it...but it would be good if it did come down to that last desperate stand that there were witnesses...it's your river, not theirs...the government stole it from us and gave it away...cheers.
Friday, January 25, 2008
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