Today, NDP forestry critic Gilles Bisson blasted the forestry minister for allowing wood cut in Ontario forests to be shipped to Quebec over Ontario mills that need it.
“Minister, you will know of Little John Enterprises in Timmins a second-generation sawmill that’s been operating in Timmins for a number of years. They have come to you, in order to get an allocation of 8,000 cubic meters of Poplar needed to supply a niche market they’ve created that is being supplied out of the mill in Timmins. We have gone to you, asking for more wood and you’ve written back to us saying that most of the wood has been allocated,” Bisson said, “If that’s the case then why is it that your allowing 71,000 cubic metres of poplar annually to be shipped to Quebec and not supplying mills here in Ontario?
Bisson demanded the minister allocate wood to Ontario mills that need it.
“Why should it be such a difficult thing to make an 8,000 cubic metre allocation to Little John Enterprises when we know we’ve got 71,000 cubic metres of poplar being moved out of the province, out of Ontario and into the province of Quebec?”