EDITOR,
The government is not content with handing over our wild rivers to independent power producers. It is now trying - again - to privatize our public forests. Prior to the May 2013 election, the government attempted to push through legislation (Section 24 of Bill 8) that would have virtually handed over our publicly owned forest lands to the five companies (Canadian Forest Products, West Fraser Timber, International Forest Products, Tolko Industries and Western Forest Products) that control most of the logging in B.C. Thanks to public opposition, the legislation was withdrawn.
Premier Clark wants to reintroduce the bill, though. We need to raise our opposition again because the only ones to benefit from the privatization of our public forests would be the shareholders of the aforementioned forest companies. Budget cuts to the ministries of forests and environment as well as B.C. Parks, combined with the gutting of our environmental laws, have made the management of our natural resources completely dysfunctional. This bill would be yet another nail in the coffin.
Louise Taylor
Pemberton
