November 2, 2005

Coleman on Pine Beetles

One of the great things about the wealth of information available on the Internet is that it is possible to check information by going to original sources; one of the dark sides of the Net is the amount of inaccurate material that can be posted. Documents on government and legislative websites are not necessarily truthful, but they are primary source documents.

Those who find coverage of provincial politics in the news media to be a little on the thin side can supplement their reading, and now viewing thanks to streaming video, by clicking on Hansard at http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/hansard/8-8.htm. Question period usually starts about 2:30 PM; the precise time varies depending on how many introductions are made at the start of the afternoon sitting and on whether first reading of any Bills occurs.

The new style of civility in BC's legislature, combined with a 33 member Official Opposition, makes question period more than just theatre. The NDP is able to focus on one minister, or to concentrate on one topic, for a solid half hour. Lately, Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman has been on the hot seat. On November 1st NDP Leader Carole James led off question period by asking Coleman about a leaked government document which reveals that there is no plan for dealing with the pine beetle disaster that is unfolding in BC. You can always tell that the government is in trouble when it answers questions by attacking its predecessors. The way the Campbell government tells the story the blame for the pine beetle rests with the NDP as if it were responsible for global warming. That would be funny if the consequences for communities throughout BC's Interior weren't so serious.

Coleman reinforced the importance of using government information available on the Internet when in response to a question from Jenny Kwan, he said: "We put another $100 million into beetle. We've attracted $100 million from the federal government. We published the plan - it's on the internet, Member, if you want to go and get a look at it - as to what we are doing with the federal money." That government website is available at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/. Read the action plan and you'll see why critics say that there is no plan. The executive summary states:

The government's actions are focused on the short term, harvesting beetle killed wood and assessing the damage. A comprehensive plan needs to address what happens after 2013; the current plan offers questions but no answers. Maximizing agriculture and tourism potential isn't going to be enough. A government that constantly refers to 2010 in its planning documents, as if the Olympic Games were the be-all-and-end-all, needs to get its head around planning for 2013 when 80 per cent of the mature pine in B.C. has been killed by the beetle.