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I think we in Ontario need to follow BC Forest Safety Council and Canfor's lead by funding log truck driver training courses and hands-on experience for prospective forestry truckers.

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The B. C. Historical Federation represents Archives and Museums in B. C. Their annual meeting will be held in Nakusp, May 24th to 27th. 2018. At this meeting, the Lt- Governor of B. C. presented awards for the latest history books written. Please submit the book's information to this Federation ( website: www.bchistory.ca/awards/historical-writing/how-to-enter/ ). Thank you.

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180/5000 When we are going to implement research projects and forest inventories that give us information for the management of urban forests so necessary in our community

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this government is looking for votes,and is using this as a pacifier.....I don't trust them for a minute....they will stack the committee with uncompromising engos....if it happens at all

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Just curious, what did he do with the rest of the acreage? When I was planting a lot of trees, we planted roughly 800 trees per acre, thus pushing the trees up and helping in self pruning. I know the goal was for wildlife, wind shelter, and control noise, plus privacy. However, as a future investment, why not some higher-value trees mixed in, such as maple, cherry, black walnut, red and white oak. Perhaps out of the black walnut zone, perhaps even too heavy or low for the oaks!!! Just interested.

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Congratulations to the new Minister. She certainly has accomplishments. It's unfortunate the Minister in this portfolio wasn't from a forest or true rural based constituency. I wonder if the government would choose an MPP for large urban issues portfolio. It's difficult to be an advocate for forest based communities and families if your background is urban based. Still good luck to the Minister.

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Subsidizing through direct cash infusion along with picking winners and losers is not beneficial but if aerospace receives it why not forestry.

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Forestry being regulated by the Endangered Species Act!!! Your kidding me. Are loggers and forestry workers on that list - they are certainly endangered now.

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Have they figured out what they are going to do with the wolves once they take their food supply away?

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I believe this idea of moving the cariboo heard to Slate Island will be an epic failure by our Liberal government. It won't heed the advice of the local native band or non government experts on the matter. What happens when lake Superior freezes over again and Slate Island becomes accessible to wolves? What will become of the wolves on Michipicoten Island? Will they cannibalize themselves? Is that ok for the MNRF ? Why not have the local native band walk through Michipicoten Island and cull enough wolves to enable both species to live together? This is the system used a few years ago when the deer population had overrun Pinery Provincial park.

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So the wolves are killing all the Cariboo? I thought all the wingnuts and dickybirds blamed it on Forestry Operations and Habitat Loss in Northwestern Ontario. I guess that was all bullshit dreamed up by Environmentalists to make forestry look bad.

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so why don't we just control the wolves instead of this expensive endeavor??

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If they are worried about the wolves then take care of the PROBLEM at the source. Several years ago the fish and game did this in Idaho to replenish a population of Canadian herds that no longer wanted to venture down into Idaho. The result was they ended up killing 75% of the animals they flew in, due mainly to shock - go figure! Get rid of the wolves, that is the problem.

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The BCTS option as outlined here leaves far too many decisions and far too much control in the hands of an unneeded provincial bureaucracy, gives too little local control, and solves none of the supply problems that keep local mills on a permanently-insecure footing. Comparing the tiny figure of "roughly $200,000 to $500,000 a year for community benefits" with the $38.2 million 1994 dollars that Gwaii Trust received at its inception, plus the added $24 million from the SMFRA that came later, is a good barometer of what a truly pitiful offer this is. I can only assume that the province ran out of magic beans to try to sell to us poor yokels. Why is the model presented for the Islands so different from what exists elsewhere? Getting the BCTS out of the picture seems to me like it would get most of the "competing needs" out of the picture as well. The Athlii Gwaii Legacy Trust consensus governing model demonstrates that Islanders are fully capable of reaching long-term agreement and managing a large enterprise without the need for external bureaucrats. The province has taken its "share" for decades, letting only a tiny amount of the extracted wealth trickle back to these Islands. This proposal is a slap in the face.

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Give everyone that lives here, over the age of 16, a log. Let each person decide what to do with their log. Sell it to a mill, to a logging company, have it milled or do it yourself. Cut it up for firewood or leave it standing to grow old. Decisions made by locals, will benefit local small businesses.

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Excellent, if you can't beat them, buy them!

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Thank you Mr. Parminter. I appreciate the fact checking and the additional info. Cindy

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To set the record straight - The B.C. Forest Service component of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations turned 100 in 2012, not in 2016. Both the B.C. Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Branch lost their separate identities in January 2016 and a new corporate logo replaced those previously used by each organization. The B.C. Forest Service underwent a major reorganization in 1978 – 1979 and emerged with new administrative boundaries, new staff positions and new legislation to provide direction and authority. There were 100 Ranger Districts and six Forest Districts prior to the reorganization. These became 46 Forest Districts and six Forest Regions. The positions of Forest Ranger and Assistant Ranger ceased to exist at that time. Therefore, it would be impossible to lay off 600 Forest Rangers in 2016 when such a position hadn’t existed for 38 years. There was only one Forest Ranger per Ranger District (100 positions) and certainly not five Assistant Rangers (the remaining 500 positions according to Edo Nyland’s math) per district just before the reorganization in 1978 – 1979. Amalgamation of Forest Districts has occurred intermittently over the years such that there are now half as many Natural Resource Districts as there were Forest Districts in the post-reorganization structure of 1979. But there are now eight regions compared to six in 1979. The last significant downsizing in the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations was in 2009 – 2010 with layoff notices given to 25 permanent staff. Although the Research Branch was dissolved in November 2010, most of its employees were transferred to other existing branches. Some people took early retirement packages in 2010 as part of the downsizing process. While the Forest & Range Practices Act (FRPA) sets standards for resource management on Crown land, it does not amount to turning the management of our public forests over to the forest industry. The FRPA was passed in January 2004. All private Managed Forests must be managed in accordance with the Private Managed Forest Land Act of 2003 and associated regulations. Other legislation which could be construed as having turned the management of public forests over to the forest industry are the Forest Act amendments of 1947 which authorized Forest Management Licences, renamed Tree Farm Licences in 1958. The B.C. Wildfire Service includes full-time safety and training personnel, wildfire and fuel management specialists plus support and administrative staff. The provincial headquarters is in Victoria (33 positions) and the provincial coordination centre is in Kamloops (32 positions). It was originally part of the Protection Branch in Victoria, which had significantly fewer than 65 positions prior to creation of the Kamloops centre. The B.C. Wildfire Service employs about 1,600 temporary fire-fighting personnel during the fire season, working out of six centres. Coulson Aviation of Port Alberni (owners of the Mars) purchased four C-130 Hercules between 2013 and 2016. In 2017 they bought six Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Conair Aerial Firefighting of Abbotsford uses the Air Tractor AT-802F (floatplane) and land-based Avro RJ85, Convair CV580, L-188C Electra and Q400MR air tankers. The B.C. government contracted four Air Tractor AT-802F waterbombers from Conair in 2014. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations believes that modern aircraft are better suited and more cost-effective than the Martin Mars. While Viking Air, operating from the Victoria airport, is now certified to construct and maintain the CL-215 and CL-415 “Super Scooper” waterbombers, there is no indication on their website that they are capable of converting a C-130 Hercules or a Boeing 737-300 for waterbombing duties. Coulson’s fourth C-130 Hercules air tanker conversion is being built in Mesa, Arizona. Their 737-300s are being converted in Spokane, Washington and Port Alberni. It is highly unlikely that any of the current third generation air tankers will be using a “bush strip.” Any well-equipped air tanker base at a municipal airport would be able to expeditiously refill the aircraft. Fire management agencies across Canada are aware that the fire season is growing longer, that fire behaviour is becoming more unpredictable, that wildland fuels are often at unnaturally high levels and many structures in the wildland – urban interface are at greater risk. I first met Edo Nyland in 1981 and we were both heavily involved with the Forest History Association of B.C. I consider him to have been a diligent researcher, which is why his production of such a fanciful letter as this is a mystery to me. Unfortunately he passed away a month after the letter was published so we will never know what motivated him. John Parminter, RPF (Ret) Sidney, B.C.

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This sounds a lot like union busting. The SNB should approach some big Canadian Unions for their support. They know how to handle big companies like Irving who try to gain more profit at the workers expense.

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Is the Angus facility strictly for seed extraction or does it carry out tree improvement work as well?