Beetle Signs

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation came out swinging against the Campbell government last week. You won't find her criticism on their website, but Sara MacIntyre, B.C. director of the Federation, is quoted in the August 5th Province questioning the province's $97,000 sign campaign about the mountain pine beetle. "This is a bit of a delayed reaction on the part of the government," said MacIntyre. The quote goes on to say "There has been little success combating the mountain pine beetle, and putting up road signs isn't going to help it. Either combat the problem or don't advertise it. What are they accomplishing other than just looking like they are doing something?"

Bob Simpson, NDP Cariboo-North MLA and Forests and Range critic, was not quite as harsh in his remarks. In an August 8th news release he said: "The Liberal government appears to have no sense of priorities for dealing with the beetle epidemic." Simpson saw a role for education and noted that "Public education about the mountain pine beetle's devastating impact on our forests is important, but without a coordinated plan to address the problem and develop a post-beetle economic and forest health strategy, it's just a waste of taxpayers' money." Stop the presses! The NDP and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation appear to be agreeing.

Simpson called for a special legislative committee to examine the pine beetle problem but Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman has refused to consider the idea. The Ministry's website has a section devoted to the beetle. It confirms Simpson's criticism that the government has no comprehensive strategy for dealing with the devastation. What will happen to Interior communities when almost all the pine trees are dead and salvaged? British Columbia's Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan for 2005-2010 states that "The Ministry of Forests projects that 80 per cent of the provincial lodgepole pine inventory could be killed by 2013." Its first objective is to encourage long-term sustainability for communities but it is questionable whether assuring that tourism and agriculture are operating at their maximum capacity is enough to make up for the loss of 25% or more of the lifeblood of many communities. Worse yet, tourism may suffer from vistas of dead and dying trees. Mining development and oil and gas exploration will offset the loss of revenue for the province but it will not replace the forestry jobs that will be lost.

The projection of the beetle outbreak concludes that it will not stop until the beetles run out of trees. The actions being taken to stop the spread aren't working. It appears inevitable that Interior forestry will suffer a major downturn that will last beyond the lifespan of most British Columbians who are alive today. The road signs don't convey the extent of the disaster. They offer false hope with the heading "By 2005 the mountain pine beetle, a natural part of this ecosystem, had infested over seven million hectares of our Interior lodgepole pine forests. Even though this is a natural cycle, we now must give nature some help to speed the process of forest renewal that will make these vistas green again." MacIntyre had it right when she asked, "What are they accomplishing other than just looking like they are doing something?"

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As a minor sidebar, does anyone know why the "Canadian Taxpayers Federation" uses the plural form in its name rather than the possessive? Is there a deep meaning here?