The press conference held on Thursday, Nov. 27 by more than 30 groups — representing forestry workers, salmon associations, wildlife and conservation groups, and academics — to call for a new Crown Lands and Forests Act received significant coverage by media in New Brunswick.
The conference was covered by CBC, Radio-Canada, Global News, the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and CBC Information Morning in Fredericton.
Lois Corbett, Executive Director of the Conservation Council, told reporters “We’re not getting the jobs that the people deserve from the resource that the government holds in trust, on our behalf. We need to move forward.”
“The contracts that were signed by the previous government are the great symbols of exactly what’s wrong with forestry management planning in New Brunswick,” Corbett said.
She spoke with Terry Seguin of Information Morning on Friday, Nov. 27. Some highlights from that discussion follow:
-New Brunswick is one of the last province’s in Canada to update its Crown forest legislation from the 80s.
-The current act is not working for the economy, no longer reflects the values of all New Brunswickers, and is not protecting us from climate change.
-We need new legislation that requires transparency around crown forest management. Corbett said, “We need new legislation to open up the curtains around the Crown Forest and let us all see. Show me the evidence that the strategy is working, show me the evidence that the strategy isn’t working. Until we get the legislative framework in place that puts duty on government to report activities and duty on companies top report publically their activities, we wont know until it’s too late.”
-When British Columbia updated its forest legislation it included requirements for community forest projects, creating thriving local economies.
-Corbett pointed out that the Auditor General told New Brunswickers this summer that its costing taxpayers to support current forest management practices in the Crown forest. She said when New Brunswickers get together and use their innovation and entrepreneurial spirits, we can come up with more jobs and better protections for the forest.
-Corbett says we shouldn’t give up hope that things can change in our forest and that decision-making can become more transparent. “Things can change, especially when we open up those curtains and have a concentration to show that new ways will mean new economies and mean better production in our forest, and that’s the magic ingredient — or the missing ingredient now — that when it’s done by the old guys behind closed doors, it’s only their interests being served. What if it could be much better?”