Vicky Husband: "Lets protect the west coast of Vancouver Island..."

Capital Regional District Land Purchase

A discussion with Vicky Husband about the CRD's purchase of 2300 ha of land in the Juan de Fuca region

The province enriched WFP by removing 23 square kilometres from Juan de Fuca tree farm licences in 2007.

Double standard on WFP lands

Perhaps Murray Coell and Ida Chong should ask Community Development Minister Bill Bennett for some pointers.The government has done great damage. It will betray future generations if it does not preserve these WFP lands.

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Leadership is needed now to protect what is unique about southern Vancouver Island

4th of 10 Key Questions for 2010

Will leaders in Capital Region be able to stop reckless development? Victoria is special because it has the potential to preserve large tracts of green space near the urban center. But a number of proposals are being promoted that could irreparably alter the future livability of the region

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Residents stop for a chat amid the country ambience of Jordan River, where land-use issues remain a hot topic.

Waterfront reserves urged as part of Jordan River area land sale

The zoning of much of Western Forest Products' land now up for sale between Sooke and Jordan River would allow homes to be built on four-hectare lots, blocking off waterfront traditionally used for recreation.

rotation: pause | resume

Lands and Forests

BC’s lands and forests define our province. A vital part of our collective history, it is up to all of us to ensure their sustainable future.

With the cumulative pressures and turbulence from the global economic crisis, the US housing downturn, climate change, the pine beetle epidemic, corporate control of forests and real estate developments, BC’s forests and forestry industry are in need of innovative solutions.

"From Jan. 1, 2003 to June 1, 2008, Canada's forest-products industry saw 38,428 layoffs and 207 mill closings – 90 permanent and 117 indefinite, ... Of these lost jobs, 10,367 were in B.C.", Globe and Mail.

It won’t be easy, but recognizing the challenges we face in BC's forests, and seeing those challenges as opportunities is the first step towards realizing positive change.

Local and diverse control of tenure, a focus on domestic markets, value-added production, revenue sharing for resource based communities, and recognizing forests multiple values and economic uses, are all parts of the solution.

We are all in this together. And we have gained significant successes.

Real solutions do exist in BC's ongoing forest crisis. The Coalition for Sustainable Forest Solutions, along with ordinary British Columbians, are taking part in a growing provincial movement to usher in local, sustainable control of our forest legacy.

More about Lands and Forests...