Sierra Club Evaluates East Side Planning |
29 July 04 |
Land-use planning that fulfills National Forest Strategy goals will become increasingly important in Canada's northern boreal forests, according to a report released July 29, 2004 by the Sierra Club of Canada. The report compares land-use planning processes in B.C. (Muskwa-Kechika), Ontario (Lands for Life), Saskatchewan (Athabasca) and Manitoba (East Side Planning Initiative). The comparison and case studies are based on the National Forest Strategy commitment to undertake land use planning as part of an ecosystem-based approach to forest management. The report's release coincides with work on a draft East Side (of Lake Winnipeg) Planning Initiative (ESPI) report that will be submitted to Manitoba's Minister of Conservation. "We are quite concerned that the draft report from two-and-a-half years of work has not resulted in the start of land use planning or action on the goals for the East Side" said Gaile Whelan Enns, Director of Manitoba Wildlands. "No planning has actually occurred, and the risk of 'development-only' planning has resurfaced. Manitoba needs to confirm the original stated intent of the ESPI, and support communities who are anxious to undertake local planning studies. What we have seen to date of the draft report indicates that some of the recommendations are in contradiction to the ESPI terms of reference, and that outright confusion exists regarding public policy in Manitoba." View the Full Sierra Club of Canada Release View the Sierra Club of Canada report View the Manitoba case study (PDF) View the Executive Summary (PDF) View the National Forest Strategy and Accord Source: Sierra Club of Canada
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