In December 2020, Mike Lancaster was invited to attend an online meeting of the Western Region Stakeholder Interaction Committee, which he describes as a venue for those holding forestry licences on Crown land and “other key stakeholders to engage with the Department of Lands and Forestry on forestry and planning issues for the western region...
Save our forests? Not now. We’re too busy destroying them
A lawyer for logging contractors says there's a time and place to discuss concerns about forest harvesting practices. But the courtroom isn't either. Which begs a few questions. What is the time? Where is the place?
A protester in Santa costume at the Nova Scotia forestry blockade. (Facebook) “There is a time and place to debate [the validity of protestors’ concerns about forest harvesting practices], and this courtroom is not it.” Ian Dunbar Lawyer for WestFor Forest Management January 26, 2021 *** If you met Sandra Phinney, the last words that...
Clear as mud: How the government’s reports on Nova Scotia forests obfuscate and confuse the data
Instead of improving the state of the province’s forests, the Nova Scotia government conducts a survey about improving The State of the Forest reporting. The Halifax Examiner takes the survey.
In recent days you might have received an email from the Department of Lands and Forestry (DLF) inviting you to answer a survey about its State of the Forest report (SOF), first published in 2008, and updated in 2016. Using data collected by the DLF, the document purportedly describes the changing condition of the forest,...
“Nature won”
Supreme Court ruling orders province to meet the obligations of the Endangered Species Act.
“Nature won.” That’s how retired wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft reacted to a judge’s decision on Friday which essentially orders the Department of Lands and Forestry to obey provincial law when it comes to protecting endangered, threatened, and vulnerable species. There are 60 plants and animals identified under Nova Scotia’s Endangered Species Act. But the judicial...
Auditor General finds Lands & Forestry and Health Departments slow to enact changes
All governments are doing a wonderful job at everything, according to all governments. For a more objective assessment of performance, citizens depend on the work of the Auditor General. The “exit” report of an Auditor General — one who’s spent six years researching promises kept and promises broken by government — is of special interest....
Shaping the rules around roadside memorials
Morning File, Thursday, January 23, 2020
News 1. Northern Pulp issues layoff notices This morning’s press release from Northern Pulp: Jennifer Henderson will have more on this shortly. 2. Council’s budget committee opts in favour of menstrual products for municipal facilities Zane Woodford looks at councillor Lorelei Nicoll’s proposal to get menstrual products in municipal facilities. The proposal is closer to […]
Environmentalists say logging companies are rushing clearcuts near Lake Deception before new forest regulations come into effect
Environmental groups are pushing back against three proposed cuts in a rural area near Lake Deception north of Shelburne. The cuts are on Crown land allocated to 13 companies in the WestFor group, which includes Northern Pulp, Louisiana Pacific, Ledwidge Lumber, and Harry Freeman & Sons. These “variable retention” cuts (a forest industry euphemism for...
Naturalists sue province for failing to protect endangered species
Another branch of the McNeil government is being taken to court, this time for not doing enough to protect and preserve endangered species such as the mainland moose, barn swallow, monarch butterfly, and hoary willow. A judge will review the alleged failure of the Lands and Forestry Minister to take actions mandated under the Endangered...