Credible, acceptable and reasonable: An action plan for conserving woodland caribou habitat

Read the Press Release (French)

COURTESY TRANSLATION

QUÉBEC CITY, April 5, 2016 / – Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks Laurent Lessard, Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change David Heurtel and Minister responsible for Native Affairs Geoffrey Kelley today released a Government action plan for woodland caribou habitat management.

“Maintaining woodland caribou in the boreal forest requires forest management that takes preservation of its habitat into account. The Government feels that protecting the woodland caribou requires a balanced approach taking into consideration the socioeconomic development of the regions concerned. This is a priority for us. As of today, we are implementing an action plan that focuses our protection efforts on key elements of the woodland caribou’s habitat and where our chances for safeguarding the species are greatest”, said Minister Lessard.

The two-phase action plan involves immediate implementation of measures to protect essential habitat components and development of a long-term woodland caribou habitat management strategy.

“Quebecers’ well-being and the economic prosperity of Québec as a whole depend on a great many ecological services that Nature provides. Climate change threatens our natural environment’s capacity to dispense these services. By diversifying our actions related to conservation and sustainable resource use in the territory, we will be able to maintain vast tracts of boreal forest, tracts that are conducive to meeting the woodland caribou’s requirements. Protecting our environment, more specifically the caribou’s habitat, is tantamount to taking out “Nature insurance” for our future and the future of our children. This is why we are going to work together to create a large protected area for caribou in the White Mountains (Montagnes Blanches) sector. Let’s do it for them!” added Minister Heurtel.

In Phase 1, concrete action will be taken quickly to implement the action plan. These measures will help maintain vast tracts for the caribou over much of its current range.

The measures announced today are:

  • Establish a new northern limit, based on the scientific committee’s recommendations;
  • Maintain 90% of forests intact;
  • Create protected areas in the Broadback River Valley and the White Mountains;
  • Preserve caribou habitats north of the northern limit for timber allocations;
  • Adapt forest management planning;
  • Increase monitoring to enhance the species’ protection;
  • Make local communities and regional players aware of the species’ precarious status;
  • Set up a pilot project for dismantling forest roads.

“My presence today reflects our Government’s commitment and desire to work in partnership with the Native communities to implement measures promoting woodland caribou habitat conservation, a priority I am pleased to see at the heart of our actions”, added Minister Kelley.

Phase 2 entails developing a long-term caribou habitat management strategy, based on detailed socioeconomic analyses, in collaboration with the key partners concerned: the Native communities, regional players, the university community and the forest industry. The goal of this approach is to arrive at a common understanding of the issues affecting the species. Phase 2 has four main thrusts:

  • Socioeconomic impact monitoring;
  • Other timber supply sources;
  • Greater collaboration with the other provinces;
  • Better population monitoring.

The woodland caribou was designated a vulnerable species in Québec in 2005 under the Act respecting threatened or vulnerable species. For some years now, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs experts and members of the woodland caribou recovery team have conducted research on the species.

Additional information (French)

Broadback Forest Protection: Quebec Cree First Nation delegation in B.C. to learn from those who signed Great Bear Rainforest Agreement

Source: Clément Sabourin, Archives AFP
Source: Clément Sabourin, Archives AFP
VANCOUVER, March 8, 2016 /CNW Telbec/

The Quebec Cree First Nation of Waswanipi met with B.C. First Nations who were involved in negotiating the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement to learn how to best protect their forests in the Broadback region. Their meeting comes in the wake of climate action talks between the Prime Minister and Premiers in Vancouver as well as the 2016 GLOBE Leadership Summit for Sustainable Business.

Read more

COMEX – Public Hearing in Waswanipi on January 19, 2016

Construction of a Forest Access Road in Sections H West and I: COMEX Announces a Public Hearing in Waswanipi

Québec City, December 11th, 2015 – The Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX) announces that it will hold a public hearing on the construction of a forest access road in Sections H West and I proposed by Matériaux Blanchet Inc., that represents the following companies: Scierie Landrienne, Tembec, Eacom Timber Corporation, Resolute Forest Products and Matériaux Blanchet inc. The purpose of the hearings is to allow citizens to learn about the project itself, the environmental impact assessment and review procedure, and COMEX’s role. It also enables COMEX to receive opinions and comments on the project and documents submitted by the proponent to the Administrator of Section 22 of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement.

COMEX – Hearing on Construction of Forest Access Roads Postponed

 

Québec, December 1, 2015 – The Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX) is postponing the public hearing on the planned construction of forest access roads “H – Section West” and “I” by Matériaux Blanchet inc., which represents the following forest companies: Scierie Landrienne, Tembec, Eacom Timber Corporation, Produits forestiers Résolu and Matériaux Blanchet inc.

The public hearing, originally scheduled for Tuesday, December 8, 2015, in the Cree community of Waswanipi, will be held at a later date. The consultation session will be held in January 2016. Information regarding the new session will be posted on the COMEX website.

 

For more information

COMEX – Public Hearing in Waswanipi

Québec City, November 6th, 2015 – The Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX) announces that it will hold a public hearing on the construction of a forest access road in Sections H West and I proposed by Matériaux Blanchet Inc., that represents the following companies: Scierie Landrienne, Tembec, Eacom Timber Corporation, Resolute Forest Products and Matériaux Blanchet inc. The purpose of the hearings is to allow citizens to learn about the project itself, the environmental impact assessment and review procedure, and COMEX’s role. It also enables COMEX to receive opinions and comments on the project and documents submitted by the proponent to the Administrator of Section 22 of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement

Read more

For more information

Québec, le 13 juillet 2015. – Le premier ministre, Philippe Couillard, en compagnie de Matthew Coon Come, grand chef du Grand Conseil des Cris, pour la signature d’une nouvelle entente de partenariat et de collaboration entre le gouvernement du Québec et le Grand Conseil des Cris (Eeyou Istchee).

Agreement to Resolve the Baril-Moses Forestry Dispute

Québec Government’s Press Release

The Québec government signs a new agreement with the Cree

Québec City, July 13, 2015“We are taking yet another significant step today in the Nation-to-Nation relations between Québec and the Cree.” It is in these terms that Québec Premier Philippe Couillard welcomed Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) Matthew Coon Come at the ceremony at which a new partnership and collaboration agreement was signed. For this occasion, minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks Laurent Lessard, Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change David Heurtel, Minister responsible for Native Affairs Geoffrey Kelley, and Minister responsible for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs and the Canadian Francophonie Jean-Marc Fournier accompanied the Premier.

Continue reading “Agreement to Resolve the Baril-Moses Forestry Dispute”