Cindy Macdonald Editor This month, you’ll find several stories from writers who are not regular contributors to our magazine. They are bringing us the front-line perspective from a few significant events. The stories were o…
This month, you’ll find several stories from writers who are not regular contributors to our magazine. They are bringing us the front-line perspective from a few significant events. The stories were originally written for other publications, and often that means they don’t translate well to a trade journal, but in these instances the writers have bridged that gap.
Writing about an industry meeting and the restart of a mill, Monte Paulsen and Carl Clutchey have captured the mood of the occasion, and we can all relate to it.
Clutchey takes us to the heart of the matter in his tale of Terrace Bay Pulp -the frustration of financing deals that fall through, working in B.C. to feed the family in Ontario, and lining up at the food bank when there’s no work to be found. There’s jubilation and profound relief in the entire region when the mill is fired up and money begins flowing.
The situation at Terrace Bay Pulp is not unique, which is what makes it so moving. The lights are out at mills across the country. Some may come on again; others won’t.
Old adversaries bury the hatchet
Bruce Lourie and Wayne Clogg provided an insider’s view on the drafting of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement to attendees at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s annual meeting in Vancouver in September. Monte Paulsen was there to bring the story to a wider audience.
In this case, it was all about finding a compromise that everyone could live with. In formal and informal meetings, environmentalists and industry reps came up with a deal that benefits both sides.
Also on the environmental front, Carroll McCormick revisits Quebec’s Sustainable Forestry Act in a round-up of forest management legislation -our cover story this month. Quebec’s move to take planning away from individual companies and create a competitive market for fibre is being echoed in Ontario. Nova Scotia meanwhile has had lots of input into its plans, but is faced with a “two solitudes” situation. The three authors of a planning report on resource management had such divergent views that the report is really two reports in one: one author supports the status quo, the other two advocate change. Perhaps they should take a hint from the folks who penned the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement.
Overall, there’s a lot of good news in this issue. Mills are re-starting and there’s been a flood of announcements about projects funded by the feds’ Green Transformation Program. All of which bodes well for 2011.
Merry Christmas, and best wishes for the new year.
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