We learned that there are considerable issues with how BC Timber Sales is operating. It appears that they are not even following their own rules. This is deeply concerning.

I have been asking government of the continued liquidation of old-growth, specifically on Vancouver Island, for the better part of the past year. With most of it already harvested, and only a fraction still standing, I've been particularly critical of the doublespeak I hear in the responses from the Minister. On one hand the provincial government voices recognition of the value of old-growth for biodiversity and the health of ecosystems, while at the same time they are actively auctioning the last remaining stands of pristine old-growth. The inconsistency is lost on no one.

It appears that the Ministry of Forests own people have been investigating BC Timber Sales and raising the red flags about their practices. The compliance and enforcement officer on the file made recommendations that were ignored and he was sidelined. The public interest is not being served. British Columbians are concerned, indeed, many are furious. We are dangerously close to harvesting the last remaining old-growth trees meanwhile the Ministry continues to produce rhetoric, patting us on the head, and telling us everything is fine.

So, I asked the Minister of Forests, Hon. Doug Donaldson about it in Question Period.

[Transcript]

LOGGING PRACTICES AND
PROTECTION OF OLD-GROWTH FORESTS

A. Olsen: The British Columbia forestry industry has been collapsing for decades because successive governments have been overharvesting trees. People in remote, rural and urban British Columbia are voicing their concern. People within government are expressing their dismay.

British Columbians are concerned that the changes made by the previous government in handing over the public interest to foreign interests are hurting them. This government continues to rapaciously log old-growth ecosystems on Vancouver Island, and it appears that they're doing so in a way that doesn't even comply with their own rules.

Let's look at the Nahmint valley in Port Alberni. Earlier this year, the photos of majestic tree stumps went viral. The vast clearcuts were once rich habitat, home to endangered species. Two separate investigations appear to have found that B.C. Timber Sales are auctioning off cutblocks that are violating their own rules.

Two separate investigations appear to have found that B.C. Timber Sales is auctioning off cutblocks that are violating their own rules. The compliance and enforcement officer from the Forests Ministry, in one investigation, recommended that the logging of the valley be halted and that the future harvesting be put on hold. Yet the logging of this pristine valley continues, with no end in sight.

My question is to the Minister of Forests. Why is the government ignoring the recommendation of this investigation, continuing to log irreplaceable old-growth ecosystems in the Nahmint valley?

Hon. D. Donaldson: Well, I thank the member for his thoughtful question. We, as the government, understand the importance of old-growth forests to supporting biodiversity in the forest ecosystems. We are blessed in B.C. to still have options on the management of old growth.

He refers to the Nahmint valley, and it was designated a special management zone in 2000 under the Vancouver Island Land Use Plan. The values that underline this special management zone include wildlife, biodiversity and recreation. And staff in my ministry are currently working as part of a working group that includes First Nations and staff from B.C. Timber Sales to legalize old-growth management areas, OGMAs, in the Nahmint valley. This involves using new and up-to-date information and incorporating other important values, including legacy trees and large cultural trees to provide additional protection.

We take the member's concerns seriously. We are not ignoring this issue or this topic. From what I understand, B.C.'s independent watchdog, the Forest Practices Board is investigating the Ancient Forest Alliance's complaint, and the Forest Practices Board investigation will be made public.

[Full transcript at [ Ссылка ]]

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