Future would be brighter with forest in public hands

The closure of Resolute Forest Products is a devastating body blow to
hundreds of workers and their families, to the town of Liverpool and to
the forest industry in Nova Scotia.
As investors turn their backs on Nova Scotia, the rest of us are left to
pick up the pieces. Is it possible that out of these ashes, there may
still be a future for forestry in the province?
I say yes, but only if the provincial government acts quickly and
decisively to acquire the timberlands of Resolute and integrate them
into Nova Scotia's public forests.
Here is a true window of opportunity for the government to exercise its
authority and responsibility to reform the forest industry.
Forestry is a renewable resource. It is the ultimate green industry,
generating vast wealth from trees that grow back again after they've
been cut. Mind you, it takes generations to produce mature trees, and
therein lies the tragedy of allowing short-term market considerations to
determine the future of this resource.
Though 94 per cent of Canada's forests are publicly owned, in Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, the land is mostly owned
by private interests, and dominated by many of the largest corporations
in the world.
Those corporations are often without long-term commitment to the forest
industry or forest communities. Business decisions about forestry
operations or a pulp and paper mill are usually motivated not by
productivity issues in the workplace, but by financial markets and stock
prices.
Companies want the right to close mills, throw people out of work, and
break the link between harvesting the forest and providing jobs in
forest communities. And by and large, they have been given free rein to
do just that: a practice that has failed workers, communities and Canada.
Clearly, public ownership and regulation of forest lands is the only way
to balance economic development and the public interest.
The closure of Resolute Forests Products is a springboard for government
action. Premier Darrell Dexter should take this opportunity to ensure
that his province remains a world leader in forestry.
The province should immediately purchase the private forest lands owned
by the company to ensure the citizens of Nova Scotia have access to
forest-dependent jobs and their community for the long run.
Practising sustainable harvest levels and allocating the resource to the
highest and best use will go a long way to achieving those goals.
Value-added manufacturing such as wood products, prefabricated housing,
specialty grades of paper, and others are among the options for
maximizing economic benefit from our forest resource within sustainable
limits. Wildlife, tourism and other values also have to be recognized
and protected.
The Nova Scotia government holds the basic tools to be able to stimulate
and rebuild the forest industry. It's high time to put those tools to
good use for the people of Nova Scotia.
Dave Coles is national president, Communications, Energy and
Paperworkers Union of Canada.
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