Old-growth logging: Squamish Nation calls for moratorium in its territory
The Squamish Nation says it has notified the B.C. government that it intends to defer old-growth logging in its territory while it develops long-term sustainability plans, following a similar request from three Vancouver Island First Nations this week.
The nation says 44 per cent of old-growth forests in its 6,900-square kilometre territory are protected while the rest remain at risk, and it does not consent to continued logging in old-growth forests that belong to the Squamish people.
It says in a statement it has identified at least 20 cut blocks within 150 kilometres of Vancouver where old-growth logging activities have been proposed.
Squamish Councillor Khelsilem says in the statement the call for a moratorium on old-growth logging requires B.C. to honour its own commitments after pledging to implement recommendations from an independent report on managing old forests.
The report released last year urged the province to defer logging in old-growth forests at risk of irreversible biodiversity loss while it shifts to a sustainable system, and to support the full participation of Indigenous nations throughout the process.
Forest Minister Katrine Conroy says the province is already in talks with the Squamish Nation about old-growth deferrals and earlier this year they struck an agreement to protect an area on the Sunshine Coast.
“Our government has received several requests from First Nations on deferrals and have responded to all incoming requests. Many of these conversations are ongoing and we expect to announce additional deferrals this summer,” Conroy said in a statement.
“Because there are several areas in B.C. that have overlapping traditional territory, the province will need to engage with all impacted First Nations before formally accepting any requests for deferral.”
The Squamish Nation's land use plan from 2001 outlines the importance of protecting old-growth forests and the statement says it will update the plan considering legislative and case law changes recognizing Indigenous title and rights.
Premier John Horgan announced on Wednesday that B.C. had approved a request by three First Nations to defer old-growth logging across over 2,000 hectares in the central Walbran and Fairy Creek areas on southwestern Vancouver Island.
The province would act as quickly as it can on requests from other nations, he said.
The Pacheedaht, Huu-ay-aht and Ditidaht First Nations issued a statement on Monday saying they wanted old-growth logging temporarily deferred in the two areas, including the site at the centre of ongoing protests over old-growth logging.
Activists opposed to old-growth logging have been camped out at the Fairy Creek watershed since August and the RCMP began enforcing a court injunction last month ordering their removal, leading to nearly 200 arrests as of Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2021.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.