Forestry Woes vs. Clearcut Economy

[forest]

Ted Morton has been scrambling to deal with forestry sector woes. Several mills are closing down due to various 'pressures'. Clearcut logging will dessimate Bragg Creek's tourism economy. So is Minister Morton considering this 'double whammy'? SLS takes our trees, and is struggling to stay viable (they've laid off many workers in months past), while our long-term tourism future is compromised for short-term gains...When both 'economies' have collapsed, will the Alberta Government be there to bail us out?

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/n ... aba4a26ff9

[toloko]

The Edmonton Journal article (linked to the previous item) states:

"Beaten down by poor markets, low prices, dollar parity, continuing disputes with the U.S. over softwood lumber and the mountain pine beetle, Morton said the forestry sector is in "the perfect storm" of economic woe.

The panel, struck by Morton at the end of September, held its first series of meetings in Edmonton last week. The forestry sustainability committee familiarized itself with issues and the framework of the softwood lumber agreement with the U.S. during meetings.

The AFPA has cited a range of issues from high transportation and energy costs to a skills shortage to land management issues and poor markets among problems impacting the sector's fortunes. Aside from the short-term report, the committee will delve into more comprehensive issues in the New Year, Oberle said.

Those named to the forestry sustainability committee are: MLAs Oberle, Doug Griffith, Battle River/Wainwright; Neil Brown, Calgary. Industry members include Wayne Clogg, West Fraser Timber; Ken Higginbotham, Canfor; Joe Constantino, Millar Western Forest Products. Sustainable Resources deputy minister Brad Pickering is also on the committee."

Are these people going to consider the effect ongoing logging will have on the tourism and recreation industries in Bragg Creek and Calgary. Will they compensate for lost real estate value. Yes, this is a NIMBY issue. That's the point, clear-cuts shouldn't be allowed in an important natural area 20-minutes from Calgary.

Write to the committee members. Contact Information

Mr. Frank Oberle (PC)
MLA for Peace River
#132 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 427-1879
Fax: (780) 415-0968
peace.river@assembly.ab.ca

Mr. Doug Griffiths (PC)
MLA for Battle River-Wainwright
#503 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 422-5369
Fax: (780) 422-0351
battleriver.wainwright@assembly.ab.ca

Dr. Neil Brown (PC)
MLA for Calgary-Nose Hill
714 Legislature Annex
9718 - 107 Street
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 1E4
Phone: (780) 415-8368
Fax: (780) 422-1671
calgary.nosehill@assembly.ab.ca

[chistana]

Why Bush is proposing a communist idea to help the economy ,and nobody calls him a communist? A 700 billion bailout to help the banks!!This is a Communist thing that has been done by all Communist countries like: Castro in Cuba.Chavez in Venezuela,Former USSR,and they are and were called Communist.Why Bush is not called as one now thta he is proposing to help the economy with Communist ideas from Marx and Engels.And I know if not passed the economy will be in serious condition.

[forest]

Well, well, Christana. Bush is far from your garden-variety 'communist' - he's more along the fascist-imperialist lines, if you ask me. President Obama has taken over the tainted reigns from the dingbat Dubya, as you well know, so we won't have to deal with that debacle any more...what a great change, eh?

While we're on the topic of 'change', wouldn't it be nice, don't you think, to have at least a 'socialist' stir things up here in ho-hum, Tory blue Alberta? That way social programs, health care, renewable energy, education, and (finally) the environment would take center stage...This is Canada, after all! This propensity to elect conservative navel-gazers is highly unusual...

But, if money's the end-all, be-all - then yer in the right place...Stelmach/Klein, Palin (thank the Earth she's finally gone), Bush, and a slew of other greed-heads are/were cut from the same cloth - they are yesterday's greedy ideals in a world in need of drastic change...It's up to us to realize this, get our heads out of the sand, and elect someone with more than an ambition to pillage and raze the last of this great province-country-continent! Anything but Tory would be preferred...