ISLANDS BULLETIN NO. 6 March 29, 2005 To all Islands people, ISLANDS SPIRIT RISING GWAII SGAANAWAAY SIIGAA IIJAA INTERESTING FACT Between 1982 and 2004 some 40,600,000 cubic metres of trees have been logged on Haida Gwaii and shipped to distant mills. One cubic metre is the size of one telephone pole. This is over $6-billion worth of logs. WHY IS THIS ACTION TAKING PLACE? Basically it’s as the sign says – Enough is Enough. Industy has been logging on the Islands since the last century and during this time there have been many attempts to resolve the issues. In the 1960s, Tree Farm Licenses were issued in a shadow of corruption and cronyism and logging accelerated, reaching a peak of 2.2 million cubic metres a year. Through these years, as the wealth left the Islands and while the license holders made their fortunes, communities were left with nothing. It is also clear that the amount of forest being cut is not sustainable. In many attempts to address the issue of Rights and Title, there has been little in the way of concilliation through negotiation. • As the Haida Nation attempted to negotiate with the Provincial government, the Province has insisted that it must be business as usual for the forest industry. • The Province has chosen to ignore the orders of the Supreme Court of Canada in upholding the Honor of the Crown. Instead of fair dealings, the Province has passed legislation to get out of its obligation, giving almost all regulatory authority over to the forest industry. • As the Haida Nation and fellow Islanders finished a 2-year land-use planning process, the Ministry of Forests began issuing cutting permits in areas that are needed for purposes other than logging. THE OBJECTIVE A sustainabile economy for the Islands in consideration of the well-being of the land that support the conditions for a continuing culture. WHAT DOES THE WEYERHAUESER SALE MEAN AND WHY NOW? The sale of Weyerhaeuser to Brascan is a $1.2 billion dollar deal. The reason the action is happening now is that the province has refused to consult the Haida, and if the deal goes through the new buyer will need to generate quick returns on investment, which can only mean a faster rate of logging. Just like Weyerhaeuser practices now are having a negative impact on our communities, it will be just more of the same. IS THIS ANTI-LOGGING? No. This is about ensuring a future for all of us. This is about keeping enough forest standing so that our future is secure and there are jobs, trees and salmon for all of us for the long term. Together we are designing a future that will work, and we can make it happen if we all pull together. We have watched the big companies operate here and we all know it doesn’t work for Islands people, communities. We have to take this stand to be able to design a future that will take care of the land and the people who live here. This action is based on local control and making things here on the Islands – not shipping raw logs off to be cut up somewhere else. VOLUNTEER SIGN UP INFORMATION Call May Russ to sign on: 1-250-626-5252 or toll free 1-888-638-7778 or home 626-5037. Call Nika’s Danny at 559-8133 and leave a message if the machine comes on. To strengthen our action we are inviting people to join us at the line. Shifts on the Line have been set up. They are 4 hours each – a small investment to ensure our Islands future. Please contact Melinda Pick or at 559-8834 or or Cindy Blake. Information is also available at www.haidanation.ca