If a tree falls across the harbour.... second thoughts second, opinions

The debate over logging across the harbour from Prince Rupert once again became a discussion point as City Council.

A presentation at the beginning of the council meeting, resulted in city council approving spending 2,000 dollars to contract a Registered Professional Logger to examine the logging plan of the Metlakatla Development Corporation.

The logging plan has become a bit of a contentious issue of late, as local residents in Prince Rupert expressed concerns over what impact the loggin will have on the view of the inner harbour area.

The Daily News provided details on the council meeting and what is hoped to be achieved with the intervention of a Professional Logger.

CITY TO GET LOGGING SECOND OPINION
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Page one

At the request of a new association representing people with opinions about the inner harbour, city council will seek a second opinion on plans to log the area across from Prince Rupert.

On Monday, council agreed to spend up to $2,000 to hire a Registered Professional Forester to review the Metlakatla Development Corporation’s plans to log across the harbour after the newly formed Inner Harbour Society expressed concern about how the area may look in the future.

Mark Ignas, who represented the small business forestry sector in provincial land use talks for the past four years, spoke on behalf of the group.

“I fully support the development initiatives of Metlakatla. I am involved in the forest industry myself,” he said.

However, it has become clear that people have concerns about the plan, said Ignas.
“In an attempt to ensure there is no unhealthy rhetoric between Metlakatla and Prince Rupert, I thought I would, with this society, put forward a healthy alternative to what seems to be becoming an unhealthy argument.”

The group turned up to speak during question period, when speakers are limited to five minutes.

However, due to the large contingent, council members agreed to let Ignas speak for as long as he wished as a ‘delegation’. Ignas said there was some validity to concerns about where and when monitoring of the harvest will take place.

“This plan is a bit different in that the prescribed level of monitoring seems to be a lot less than in an area that has such a high visual sensitivity. Typically, you would have up to 20 to 25 monitoring view points,” Ignas said.

Right now, there are five planned monitoring view points during harvesting.

“The best way to ensure integrity to the process is to bring an independent voice to it,” he said.
Council also agreed to write a letter to Metlakatla to let them know what the city is doing, but council will not be asking the Ministry of Forests or Metlakatla to hold off on plans to begin logging in about a month’s time.

The plans include modifying no more than 1.5 per cent of trees in the harvest area.

Council did meet with the Ministry of Forests officials about the harvesting several weeks ago but Ministry officials refused to hold the meeting in public.

On Monday, council members noted part of the problem was that the Ministry was unable to say how Metlakatla planned to achieve their objective of not altering the view. Under results-based forestry, introduced four years ago, companies don’t have to specify to the province how they will meet their objectives, they just have to meet them.

“The best thing I can suggest is to practice due diligence and have as many professionals involved in this as possible,” said Ignas.