Jenny Millson

This could have been a disastrous year for Millson Forestry Service, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the shutdown of many industries and businesses. It was a big boost for the Timmins-based company when on April 2, the provincial government declared the forest industry an essential service throughout the pandemic “At the time of the pandemic, we already had a greenhouse full of trees. So we couldn’t just let them die,” said Jenny Millson, owner of Millson Forestry Service. …Despite the turbulent times amid the pandemic, Millson Forestry is gearing up for a busy summer and growing plenty of saplings for planting locally and beyond. Physical distancing is being practised on site as much as possible, with the use of dividers used in some instances for those working in close proximity at their facility on Dalton Road.

An environmental protection plan 25 years in the making has been released, with public commentary invited until June 22. The plan, released by the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Advisory Council (WERAC), identifies 32 areas to be protected across the island portion of the province. …WERAC chair Graham Wood says it’s a relief to finally get the report in the hands of the public. “We’re ecstatic, actually,” said Wood. The proposed plan would see 8.7 per cent of the wilderness in the province protected. Currently, just 6.9 per cent of the province is protected — the third least across the country. While the plan doesn’t get the province to the 17 per cent protected area outlined by the United Nations, it’s a good place to start, Wood says. “The whole rationale for this is to reach the 17 per cent goal of the UN conference on biodiversity, which Canada is committed to,” said Wood.

Ontario has proposed extending an exemption to the Endangered Species Act for the forestry sector, a move that environmental groups say is another step toward decimating species at risk.  The forestry sector, meanwhile, said forcing the industry to follow the act would be a bureaucratic nightmare and “impossible.”  Last week, the province proposed extending the exemption for another year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that consultation isn’t required due to a temporary regulation it put in place on April 1. The province has, however, opened up the proposal to public comments until June 18.  “This proposal will maintain the current requirements and help avoid additional regulatory burden and economic strain on the forestry sector while a long-term approach is finalized,” the province wrote on the Environmental Registry of Ontario.

A Nova Scotia Supreme Court justice says the province has failed to live up to its self-prescribed legal obligations to protect species at risk, and has ordered the minister of lands and forestry to fulfil those duties.   A group of environmental advocates launched a judicial review in January 2019, alleging a slew of failures under the Endangered Species Act dating back to the early 2000s. The case went to a hearing for two days last fall.  There were 60 species listed as endangered, threatened or vulnerable when the judicial review began, but the case narrowed in on six “representative” species — the Canada warbler and eastern wood peewee, both songbirds; the black ash and ram’s head lady slipper, both plants; the wood turtle and the iconic mainland moose.