Although what I see, read and hear from Mike de Jong during this leadership campaign is refreshing, as a resident of a community like many other forestry related communities, I cannot understand nor forgive him for the unrestricted give back of our TFL’s to the multi-national forest companies.
Without any real regulations on setbacks, riparian areas, export restrictions and waste reduction, the resultant destruction, devastation and pillage of our forest resources has set us back 50 years.
This damage will take another 50 years to start to recover and increased timber trade with China and India will only increase the demand and damage.
Is de Jong prepared to have the Forest Practices Act include all logging operations whether on public or private land? And have local support?
Will he legislate reducing the enormous waste created by “export” quality logs only with the long butts, tops and other logs left on the forest floors to rot and bug infest the few remaining trees?
Will he seriously look into ways and means of having stumpage fees remain in the regions and municipalities from which the resource is extracted?
These are the important questions that I need answered before I can support any leadership candidate, Liberal or NDP.
Bob Cole,
Port Alberni