Indigenous leaders concerned over B.C. government's old-growth deferral process
Indigenous leaders and experts in British Columbia outlined their concerns Wednesday over the provincial government's process to save old-growth forests, while underscoring the urgency to preserve at-risk ecosystems.
The province announced on Nov. 2 that an independent panel of scientific experts had mapped 26,000 square kilometres of old-growth forests at risk of permanent biodiversity loss. It asked First Nations to decide within 30 days whether they support the deferral of logging in those areas or if the plan required further discussion.
Retired judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond told a news conference hosted by the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs that the government's actions aren't consistent with free, prior and informed consent, a key principle of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
B.C. adopted the declaration through legislation passed in 2019.
The 30-day timeline is too short for many First Nations to make informed decisions, and the process lacks clarity on economic impacts and potential compensation for nations that elect to set old-growth forests aside from logging, Turpel-Lafond said.
In the Fraser Canyon, the elected council for Spuzzum First Nation is part time and there was “no way” they could have decided on the deferral within 30 days, although they want old-growth logging to stop in their territory, Chief James Hobart said.
B.C.'s plan includes about $12.7 million over three years to support nations through the process, but Hobart said he hasn't heard anything about receiving funds. In the meantime, he said Spuzzum doesn't have access to comprehensive mapping showing where forests have been logged and what's still standing.
“It's like pulling teeth trying to get an overlap map of what's not in your territory anymore,” Hobart told the news conference. “How can we even start the conversation in a month if we don't even understand what's gone?”
Khelsilem, elected chairperson for the Squamish Nation, told the news conference that 97 per cent of old-growth forests have been logged in Squamish territory and the nation has been fighting for years to protect the remaining three per cent.
“Asking for consent to defer, but not asking for consent to log, is a total about-face and a misalignment on (the province's) values when they say they want to partner with First Nations and they want to respect Indigenous rights,” Khelsilem said.
The Forests Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
B.C. has been following the recommendations of an independent review released last fall, which found inaction could result in permanent loss for the most at-risk old-growth ecosystems, Forests Minister Katrine Conroy said last month.
The initial deferrals would last two years, Conroy said, allowing for consultation with First Nations about old-growth management in their territories. After that, old-growth forests identified as being at risk would either remain off limits for logging or be included in new, more sustainable management plans, the minister said.
Under B.C.'s plan, forest licence holders may volunteer to stop harvesting in the deferral areas, or the deferrals would be implemented under the Forest Act, which allows for a pause of up to 10 years, with compensation required after four years.
In fall 2020, the province announced the temporary deferral of harvesting across 196,000 hectares of old-growth forests in nine different areas. In June, it approved a request from three Vancouver Island First Nations to defer logging across more than 2,000 hectares of old-growth forests in the Fairy Creek and Walbran areas.
One of those nations, the Huu-ay-aht, released a statement Wednesday, saying it has decided to defer 96 per cent of the old forest identified as being at risk by the scientific panel, while upholding its right to harvest in the remaining four per cent.
Chief Councillor Robert Dennis Sr. said much of the deferral area is protected under existing conservation measures or not slated for logging in the next two years.
The B.C. government also introduced legislation last month that would amend the Forest Act.
If passed, the new legislation would allow the province to reduce the timber harvesting rights of existing forest companies, compensate them and redistribute the harvesting rights to First Nations, local communities and BC Timber Sales, it said.
The province has also appointed a new commission to provide advice on strengthening the long-term stability of the forest industry, with recommendations on how to protect workers affected by harvesting changes due in February.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion
Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Man handed 5th distracted driving charge for using cell phone on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
An Ottawa driver was charged for using a cell phone behind the wheel on Sunday, the fifth time he has faced distracted driving charges.
Wrongfully convicted N.B. man has mixed feelings since exoneration
Robert Mailman, 76, was exonerated on Jan. 4 of a 1983 murder for which he and his friend Walter Gillespie served lengthy prison terms.
Can the Governor General do what Pierre Poilievre is asking? This expert says no
A historically difficult week for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government ended with a renewed push from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to topple this government – this time in the form a letter to the Governor General.
opinion Christmas movies for people who don't like Christmas movies
The holidays can bring up a whole gamut of emotions, not just love and goodwill. So CTV film critic Richard Crouse offers up a list of Christmas movies for people who might not enjoy traditional Christmas movies.
More than 7,000 Jeep SUVs recalled in Canada over camera display concern
A software issue potentially affecting the rearview camera display in select Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee models has prompted a recall of more than 7,000 vehicles.
'I'm still thinking pinch me': lost puppy reunited with family after five years
After almost five years of searching and never giving up hope, the Tuffin family received the best Christmas gift they could have hoped for: being reunited with their long-lost puppy.
10 hospitalized after carbon monoxide poisoning in Ottawa's east end
The Ottawa Police Service says ten people were taken to hospital, with one of them in life-threatening condition, after being exposed to carbon monoxide in the neighbourhood of Vanier on Sunday morning.
New York City police apprehend suspect in the death of a woman found on fire in a subway car
New York City police announced Sunday they have in custody a “person of interest” in the early morning death of a woman who they believe may have fallen asleep on a stationary subway train before being intentionally lit on fire by a man she didn't know.