Defending whatever rights we have The Working Forest celebrates and congratulates two successes in defending rights to doing business in the forest industry. An Ottawa-area sawmill was charged by the ministry of labour in 2007 for an accident on a CSA approved debarker. The company refused to plead guilty to charges and false statements. Two years of hell followed, until finally the ministry lawyers gave up. A full and complete investigation on the part of the Attorney General has been formally demanded by MPP Randy Hillier, labour critic, regarding the ministry of labour conduct against Gulick Forest Products, Barry’s Bay, ON. This is the second issue this month in Ontario, where forest owners are defending their rights. They are defending their rights from government intervention. A petition was circulated through The Working Forest last issue to landowners. People were asked to join the Muskoka Landowners Association in determining their land rights. Responses have been returned thick and fast. Right across North America business people from retail to resource industries are responding to the water police, fun police, bird police, garbage police, turtle police, and every other kind of policing. Doing business and providing employment is hardly worth the effort in the forest industry. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Gulick Forest Products and the Muskoka Landowners exerted Herculean efforts in battles in the war of rights. Government’s intention in Ontario The Working Forest presented at pre-budget hearings in January. MPP’s attending questioned and commented on the following presentation: The Ontario forest garden produces 6.7 billion cubic meters of wood. Minister of Forests Gravelle has stated that "Ontario’s Crown forests can sustainably produce about 26 million cubic metres of wood annually." That tiny amount of fibre is the limit of the minister’s vision for an Ontario forest industry. That harvest is restricted to 1/3 of one percent of Ontario’s forest per year. Ontario is now harvesting under ¼ of one percent of our wood garden. Ontario forest industry’s greatest harvest in 2000 was 0.44 of one percent. Ontario does not meet its own demand for wood products. Ontario must budget $100 million at least per year on prime site reforestation. We need to harvest forests at twice the rate we are doing now, without paranoia. Canadians perfected the most efficient business tool in the world, a sheet of paper. Canadian lumber is strong, lightweight and easiest to nail; the best SPF in the world. The questions to The Working Forest were from government MPP David Ramsay. (paraphrased) See government transcript for exact quote. QUESTION: Mr Ramsay MPP indicated he supported the call for the importance of Ontario’s forest industry, the importance of the tenure changes, and more forest products to store carbon in the face of global warming. What could the government do to support the forest industry of Ontario? ANSWER (W.F.): First of all, dump the forest tenure initiative. Higher insecurity to the industry at this time is diverting new investment, and existing investment, away from the industry. No one knows where the tenure initiative is going. There are no facts to debate. The government must provide security to the forest industry. STATEMENT : Mr Ramsay MPP: There is a need to produce new products from the Ontario forest industry from new investors. No more 2x4 economy. With the tenure reform wood will be removed from the existing forest companies and provided to new investors. RESPONSE (W.F.): If we many respond. Why would the government fight with existing investors over this tiny, tiny ¼ of 1% of forest fibre in the province? The government must provide new forest fibre to new investors and provide security and fibre for the industry. Open up the fibre supply. Provide the access of the last decades. That is what the forest industry needs.