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News Release
For immediate release: September 8, 2008
September 8, 2008, Fredericton - Environmental organizations are calling on the provincial government to host public information sessions on its two new forestry reports in New Brunswick's major population centers before the public comment period closes on October 3rd.
Public information sessions with the reports lead authors are planned for five communities that are considered to be forest-dependent. However, members of the Crown Lands Network are concerned that the majority of New Brunswick's citizens in most of its cities are being excluded.
"A real public consultation process needs an informed public. Limiting the public information sessions to mill towns will leave the vast majority of New Brunswickers uniformed. Crown Lands Network member groups are calling on the government to add information sessions in all of the cities, so at least people there can have the same opportunity to become informed. Decisions made based on these reports will shape the future of our public forests for the next century," commented Florian Levesque, President of Environnement Vie.
David MacDonald, Treasurer of the Southeast Chapter of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, said, "Discussions about our province's public forests are relevant to all people in the province, not only those who live in forest-dependent communities. People in the cities value our province's forests for clean water, jobs, wildlife habitat and recreation. Why has the provincial government decided that people in these cities where a large proportion of our population lives don't need to learn more about these reports before they can comment on them?"
Tracy Glynn, Acadian Forest Campaigner with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, noted, "When the government cancelled the information sessions in February about their survey of public values related to the forest, they said they planned to hold the sessions after the Task Force report came out. Now we find out that plans to hold these sessions in Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John have been eliminated by Communications New Brunswick."
The Crown Lands Network is a collaboration of New Brunswick organizations who are interested in the sustainable management and conservation of our province's Crown lands. The network shares information and coordinates activities on issues of province-wide interest.
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For information, please contact:
David MacDonald 506-859-8104 (English)
Tracy Glynn 506-458-8747 (English)
Florian Levesque 506-826-2648 (French)
The following organizations are endorsing this call on the government to host public information sessions on its two new forestry reports in New Brunswick's major population centers;
Campaign for Pesticide Reduction - Quispamsis, New Brunswick
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - New Brunswick Chapter
Conservation Council of New Brunswick
Environnement Vie
Falls Brook Centre
Les Intendants du Madawaska
New Brunswick Federation of Labour
Oromocto River Watershed Association
PANE People for a new perspective on energy
Public for the Protection of the Forests of New Brunswick
Sierra Club of Canada - Atlantic Canada Chapter
SOS Eau Water Sankwan
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