New Brunswick Forest Task Force disappointed in province's public info sessions, will host their own
Fredericton - Two members of the province’s Task Force on Forest Diversity and Wood Supply, Roberta Clowater and David Coon, are calling for additional information sessions to be added, even if they have to organize some of them themselves. The two representatives of conservation organizations are concerned that public information sessions to learn more about the findings of the report are too limited, leaving most New Brunswickers out of the loop.
Roberta Clowater, Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, NB Chapter, said, “We have asked the Minister of Natural Resources to add sessions in the cities, since they represent the most populated parts of the province. Having not received a response, CPAWS NB is working with other community partners and Task Force members to host an information session in Fredericton later in September. Decisions about management of our public forests are just as relevant to people in our cities, since the health of our forests influences values that people hold across the province, from clean water and wildlife habitat to the quality of outdoor recreation and variety of forest-related jobs.”
David Coon, Executive Director or the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, noted, “It is a real
disservice to people who live in cities that the provincial government is leaving them out of these
sessions. The decisions that government will be making this fall will influence forest management for decades to come – this deserves a more substantial public consultation process. CCNB is looking at hosting a session in Moncton to help fill the gap that government is leaving.”
Both Coon and Clowater offered their services for over two years to the Task Force. Clowater added,
“We committed a lot of time to the work of the Task Force, and we want to make sure that the provincial government gives the citizens of New Brunswick a fair chance to learn about the issues, before they send in their comments.”
Information sessions are being held in five locations, all of which are considered to be forest-dependent communities. Of the province’s seven cities, only Miramichi has been included on the list. Comments will be received by the province on-line and via written letter only. No direct consultations will be held.
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For information, please contact:
Roberta Clowater, CPAWS New Brunswick – 506-452-9902 (English)
David Coon, CCNB – 506-461-1023 (cell) (English)
Megan de Graaf, CCNB - 506-458-8747 (French)
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