Thoughts on BC Politics and More

As the author of a book on deforestation in Canada, I feel I have some qualification to comment on recent claims made by an alliance of environmental groups that the federal government is “spinning” the truth on the subject. Unfortunately, there is widespread public (and media) confusion about what deforestation is and isn’t. From a dictionary point of view, it would be easy to conclude that deforestation is simply about removing trees, and that reforestation is about growing them back again. That’s what the commonly displayed images all show: a stark clear-cut, or a young green spruce stretching skyward. But for people whose job it is to track deforestation and to do something about it, it’s a lot more complicated than that ... CLICK HERE for the full story

As officials keep a close eye on potential flooding in parts of B.C. this weekend, University of British Columbia researchers are calling on the province to change forestry practices as a way of safeguarding against flood risk long-term. The researchers say in communities including Merritt, Princeton and Cache Creek, logging practices may have played a role in the severity of floods ... CLICK HERE for the full story

This week I met with a group of passionate advocates on Salt Spring Island who are deeply concerned about the clear cutting of forests on private land. There is a long history of logging on the Gulf Islands and, despite the Islands’ Trust mandate to “preserve and protect” the islands for the benefit of all British Columbians, there is seemingly little protection for the forests on private lands. Of course, this brings up a whole host of property rights issues. In the past, there have been attempts to regulate tree-cutting through development permit areas but the local trust committees have been met with substantial pushback. The provincial government provided other local governments with the ability to regulate tree cutting through the Community Charter and the Local Government Act, however, regional districts and the Islands’ Trust were excluded, leaving the forests and communities vulnerable. This is a challenge with the “preserve and protect” mand...

Last weekend we spent a few days in Bamfield. The family weekend on the west coast was a gift from my mom and Tex. It was nice to see my kids, niece and nephews away from their screens and on the dock fishing for piling perch and rock crab. The devices have a way of devouring us these days much the same way as the docks at the Brentwood Inn or Gilbert's Marina consumed the days of my childhood. It jumped off the rack! We stopped in at Bamfield's market on our way through to the Kingfisher Lodge. I also noticed Briony Penn's book " Stories from the Magic Canoe of Wa'xaid ".   So, I bought it as well. It's a quick read and the timing is apropos to my most recent work in the legislature around old-growth protection and industrial logging. The stories come from Xenakaisla elder Cecil Paul Sr. (Wa'xaid). They are a range of anecdotes and memories that Penn arranges in a beautiful illustration of the 20th century indigenous ...