Ontario tenure & pricing proposal released

	Michael Gravelle, minister of northern development, mines, and forestry for Ontario, announces a public consultation for a newly developed forest pricing and tenure framework.

May 4, 2010 – A proposed new approach to forest tenure and pricing could
help
re-energize Ontario’s forest sector. Recently released for consultation, the
framework is focused on balancing sustainable practices with an environment
in
which Ontario forest products businesses can succeed. The cornerstone of
the
framework is the introduction of new Local Forest Management
Corporations
(LFMCs) to manage Crown forests and oversee the competitive
sale of Crown
timber.

Sessions for the public and stakeholders will be held across the province to discuss the
framework:

A parallel series of sessions is planned with First Nations and Aboriginal
organizations.

This initiative is part of the government’s five-year Open Ontario plan to create
jobs and economic opportunities in northern Ontario. The framework contains a
proposal for 5 to 15 new LFMCs that would assume responsibility for the
management, marketing, and sale of wood from Crown forests within their defined
areas. This is the most comprehensive overhaul of the Ontario’s wood allocation
system in decades.

For times and locations of public sessions, click here.

To read the proposed tenure and pricing framework, click here.