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--Apple-Mail-216-880970067 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Here is the letter mentioned in the previous post. Begin forwarded message: > From: Joanne Cook <forests2@ecologyaction.ca> > Date: October 23, 2006 1:56:00 PM ADT > To: eac-forestalerts@lists.ecologyaction.ca > Subject: [ForestAlerts] FYI: Letter from Paul Pross to Michael Baker, > Minister of Finance > Reply-To: forests2@ecologyaction.ca > > Hi everyone -- Excellent letter to Michael Baker, Minister of Finance, > from Paul Pross. You are welcome to steal points from it! > > cheers, > Joanne > > Re: DNR consultation on resource strategy > > Dear Mr. Baker, > > You know me as a staunch supporter of the NDP, so I don't expect that > you will give my views quite the same credit that you would accord to > those of some of my Conservative friends. Nevertheless, the subject of > this letter is sufficiently important to all Nova Scotians that I hope > you will give serious consideration to the suggestion that I shall > make. > > Shortly you and other members of cabinet will be considering a > proposal from DNR concerning a public consultation on natural resource > policies. The issue is whether the consultation should be conducted by > Voluntary Planning or the Department. The Department's view is that > Voluntary Planning should manage the consultations, but the Department > itself should determine the recommendations. > > My view, and that of many others, is that the resource situation > confronting the Province, particularly the difficult challenges in the > forestry sector, warrants an objective examination by a panel that can > look clearly to the future, without feeling an obligation to defend > previous policies. > > There is no doubt that the forest industries are facing enormous > challenges created by new technologies and intense international > competition. Earlier this year you were able to assist Stora-Enso and > Bowater, but, as Finance Minister, you doubtless dread the possibility > that further financial assistance will be needed. You will have > followed Neenah's sale of large holdings to an American outfit, and I > expect that you caught a CBC story from PEI which headlined the > crashing of that province's forest industry. Our forest industry is > much more significant to our economy, which makes it all the more > urgent that we give an independent panel a fair opportunity to make > recommendations that will affect the Province's economy for decades. > > The Department has argued that experts must make the recommendations > emanating from the consultation. This argument doesn't hold water. > Nova Scotian governments have frequently turned to non-experts to > conduct such inquiries, usually as members of Royal Commissions. The > Department itself frequently cites the last Royal Commission to > examine forest policy. In such cases, there are ample opportunities > for experts to assist panels, and there is no reason why a > consultation conducted by Voluntary Planning would be any less > amenable to advice from the Department and other forestry experts. > > I hope that you will consider these points, and perhaps persuade your > colleagues that a Voluntary Planning panel would conduct a > consultation in a fair, objective and informed manner and would make > reliable recommendations. > > Yours truly, > > Paul Pross > > -- > > > _______________________________ > Joanne Cook (mailto:forests2@ecologyaction.ca) > Coordinator, Standing Tall Campaign for Environmentally Responsible > Forestry, > Ecology Action Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia. > 902.429.1335 (voice); 902.422.6410 (fax). > http://www.novascotiaforests.ca & http://www.ecologyaction.ca > > * Do not meddle with the Forces of Nature, for you are small, > insignificant, and biodegradable. * > _______________________________ > _______________________________________________ > EAC-ForestAlerts mailing list > EAC-ForestAlerts@lists.ecologyaction.ca > http://lists.ecologyaction.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eac-forestalerts > ======================================================================== == Patrick Kelly Director of Computer Facilities ======================================================================== == Faculty of Architecture and Planning Dalhousie University ======================================================================== == PO Box 1000 Stn Central 5410 Spring Garden Road Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Canada Canada ======================================================================== == Phone:(902) 494-3294 FAX:(902) 423-6672 E-mail:patrick.kelly@dal.ca ======================================================================== == --Apple-Mail-216-880970067 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/enriched; charset=US-ASCII Here is the letter mentioned in the previous post. Begin forwarded message: <excerpt><bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>From: </color></bold>Joanne Cook <<forests2@ecologyaction.ca> <bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>Date: </color></bold>October 23, 2006 1:56:00 PM ADT <bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>To: </color></bold>eac-forestalerts@lists.ecologyaction.ca <bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>Subject: </color>[ForestAlerts] FYI: Letter from Paul Pross to Michael Baker, Minister of Finance <color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>Reply-To: </color></bold>forests2@ecologyaction.ca Hi everyone -- Excellent letter to Michael Baker, Minister of Finance, from Paul Pross. You are welcome to steal points from it! cheers, Joanne <bold>Re: DNR consultation on resource strategy</bold> Dear Mr. Baker, You know me as a staunch supporter of the NDP, so I don't expect that you will give my views quite the same credit that you would accord to those of some of my Conservative friends. Nevertheless, the subject of this letter is sufficiently important to all Nova Scotians that I hope you will give serious consideration to the suggestion that I shall make. Shortly you and other members of cabinet will be considering a proposal from DNR concerning a public consultation on natural resource policies. The issue is whether the consultation should be conducted by Voluntary Planning or the Department. The Department's view is that Voluntary Planning should manage the consultations, but the Department itself should determine the recommendations. My view, and that of many others, is that the resource situation confronting the Province, particularly the difficult challenges in the forestry sector, warrants an objective examination by a panel that can look clearly to the future, without feeling an obligation to defend previous policies. There is no doubt that the forest industries are facing enormous challenges created by new technologies and intense international competition. Earlier this year you were able to assist Stora-Enso and Bowater, but, as Finance Minister, you doubtless dread the possibility that further financial assistance will be needed. You will have followed Neenah's sale of large holdings to an American outfit, and I expect that you caught a CBC story from PEI which headlined the crashing of that province's forest industry. Our forest industry is much more significant to our economy, which makes it all the more urgent that we give an independent panel a fair opportunity to make recommendations that will affect the Province's economy for decades. The Department has argued that experts must make the recommendations emanating from the consultation. This argument doesn't hold water. Nova Scotian governments have frequently turned to non-experts to conduct such inquiries, usually as members of Royal Commissions. The Department itself frequently cites the last Royal Commission to examine forest policy. In such cases, there are ample opportunities for experts to assist panels, and there is no reason why a consultation conducted by Voluntary Planning would be any less amenable to advice from the Department and other forestry experts. I hope that you will consider these points, and perhaps persuade your colleagues that a Voluntary Planning panel would conduct a consultation in a fair, objective and informed manner and would make reliable recommendations. Yours truly, Paul Pross <fixed>-- </fixed> _______________________________ Joanne Cook (mailto:forests2@ecologyaction.ca) Coordinator, Standing Tall Campaign for Environmentally Responsible Forestry, Ecology Action Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 902.429.1335 (voice); 902.422.6410 (fax). http://www.novascotiaforests.ca & http://www.ecologyaction.ca * Do not meddle with the Forces of Nature, for you are small, insignificant, and biodegradable. * _______________________________ _______________________________________________ EAC-ForestAlerts mailing list EAC-ForestAlerts@lists.ecologyaction.ca http://lists.ecologyaction.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eac-forestalerts </excerpt><fontfamily><param>Courier</param> ========================================================================== Patrick Kelly Director of Computer Facilities ========================================================================== Faculty of Architecture and Planning Dalhousie University ========================================================================== PO Box 1000 Stn Central 5410 Spring Garden Road Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Canada Canada ========================================================================== Phone:(902) 494-3294 FAX:(902) 423-6672 E-mail:patrick.kelly@dal.ca ========================================================================== </fontfamily> --Apple-Mail-216-880970067--
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