West Vancouver Sea-to-Sky MLA and provincial Environment Minister Jordan Sturdy says news of potential logging on Bowen Island was brought to his attention several days ago by concerned constituents. He says that Bowen Island is likely one of many places across the province that has received a request for consultation on current Forest Stewardship Plans (FSP), and he is urging islanders to be open to dialogue.
“As far as I know, this is happening now because because the Forest Practices Review Board, which is a body appointed by government to set forestry standards across the province, conducted an audit and found that communities felt they were not being adequately consulted when it came to forestry,” says Sturdy. “So they have asked for a renewal of all the FSP’s across the province with the aim of improving the level of community consultation.”
Sturdy likens an FSP to an OCP (Official Community Plan), meaning that both are land-use planning tools created through community input.
“If the community provided certain feedback on this plan, but that was not reflected in the final version of it then that would indicate a disconnect, and I would step in on behalf of the community,” says Sturdy. “Certainly, the community could say no to logging, that is a reasonable answer. Timber harvesting objectives need to be met somehow, but if Bowen doesn’t want to be a part of that land base, we would have to deternine how we would want to proceed in terms of designating that land provincially, and look into precedents in how to shift that designation.”
He adds that, while he would support the community in that decision, Sturdy sees approaching these conversations with a sense of openness as being more constructive.
“There is so much that could be discussed and considered. Interface fire management could be an outcome, a community forest could be a possibility, a horse logging operation, an industry in non-timber forest products, I really don’t know but I think this discussion would be open to all of that,” he says, and points to Whistler’s Cheakamus Community Forest as an example of another potentially positive outcome. This forest is jointly managed by the L’ilwat and Squamish First Nations as well as the Resort Municipality of Whistler. It ensures that First Nations benefit from logging operations instead of private forestry organizations, it ensures logging is done with considerations towards recreational, cultural and sustainability goals, and it sells carbon credits.
“It should also be noted that any other timber licensee could propose logging on the designated areas on Bowen, including First Nations,” says Sturdy. “With that in mind it would be extremely helpful to have an FSP as a record of comment and community desires. I’ve seen this situation before, I’ve seen the reactions and I get the concern, but I would hope that people don’t jump to conclusions before even know what is being considered.”
He adds that he is supportive of the bid to change the public comment period and hopeful that it can be changed.
“I understand that the deadline is related to the expiry of the current FSP, but I am not sure that it can’t be shifted,” says Sturdy.
