Port Blandford made 'scapegoat' in controversial wood-cutting plan, town says

The mayor of Port Blandford says the Newfoundland and Labrador government has used his town council as a scapegoatin the public backlash against forest harvesting plans in central Newfoundland and is now pledging to fight the proposals that council initially approved.

Chad Holloway said thatdespite contrary statements from government officials, members of his town council were never told that controversial clear-cuttingwas planned near the community, and wouldn't have signed off on the forestry plans for the area if they were informed.

"Council trusted that the provincial government was going to protect our town, but instead they used council as a scapegoat," Holloway said in a news release.

Therelease alleges provincial government employees told opponents of clear-cutting that the Port Blandfordtown council had reviewed, and signed offon, the forestry plans.

"The town council of Port Blandford reviewed the forestry management plan and did actually recommend some modifications, some amendments, which were accepted," GerryBryne, the minister of fisheries and land resources, told the legislature on Tuesday.

"This is what really upset us the most," Holloway said in an interview with CBC Radio'sCentral Morning Show."Because first of all forestry was saying 'Well, council knew about this.' Well, no, we didn't know about this."

Clear-cutting not spelled out

In its statement, the town saidcouncillorsdid read and recommend changes to the initial plan, but never realized that clear-cuttingwas part of the proposal.

"If you go through the plan, It's a very lengthy document and I've gone through it several times myself, and there's no indication whatsoever that there was going to be any type of clear-cutting in that area," Holloway said.

• Citizens group gears up for fight against Port Blandford wood cutting proposal

The proposal is that158,000 cubic metres of wood be harvested from four distinct areas surrounding Port Blandford. Opponents of the plan say it will damage the countryside where they hunt and fish.

A group of residents from PortBlandfordformed a group in mid-February to fight the plan, saying the clear cutting could take place near a cabin area and salmon river.

Holloway said with forest harvesting set to begin as early as this spring, hewill exhaust all options to stop clear cutting.

He told CBC'sCentral Morning that Port Blandford is now in the process of changing land-use rules to make sure council will have a chance to approve forestry operations before they begin. He added he's ready to go as far as designating the forest areas within municipal boundaries a recreation zone to prohibit commercial harvesting.

"That at least puts the power back into the people's hands, so they'll know exactly what's going on and be able to provide input into it," he said.

Government open to changes

Organizers of the anti-cutting group held a public meeting Feb. 20 thatwas attended by provincial government officials, including MHAColin Holloway.

In question period Tuesday, Brynesaid government is open to changes to the forestry plan.

"We have to balance. This is a working forest. We're sustaining industry. We're sustaining jobs, but we also recognize we're sustaining the tourism industry jobs as well," he said."That balance is very important."

Byrne said there is a meeting scheduled with town representatives in the coming week.