Northern forest communities need voice on tenure

Apr. 11, 2011, Thunder Bay, ON – The
Ontario government has decided to limit hearings on new forest tenure policy
development to two days in Toronto, and decided not to visit forestry communities
such as Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, and Pembroke.

"By shutting out the North, the Ontario
government has just put another nail in the coffin of our province's
once-thriving forest sector," says Kim Ginter, Ontario regional
vice-president of Ontario's largest forestry union, the Communications, Energy,
and Paperworkers Union. "These northern Ontario communities have been hard
hit by the forest crisis and they need a voice at these hearings. Decisions
about tenure need to be balanced by the interests of the community and the
workers. By shutting them out, the take away message is that the Liberal
government is not serious about revitalizing the forest industry in a way that
benefits Canadians."

Despite recommendations from opposition
parties to hold a series of hearings in northern and rural municipalities, the
provincial government overruled the proposal and voted to limit hearings to
Toronto on Monday April 11 and Wednesday April 13, 2011.