[IPSM] GWAII SGAANAWAAY SIIGAA IIJAA -- Islands Spirit Rising

[Robin Taylor]

ISLANDS BULLETIN NO. 6


March 29, 2005

To all Islands people,

ISLANDS SPIRIT RISING
GWAII SGAANAWAAY SIIGAA IIJAA

INTERESTING FACT
Between 1982 and 2004 some 40,600,000 cubic metres of trees have been logged on
Haida Gwaii and shipped to distant mills. One cubic metre is the size of one
telephone pole. This is over $6-billion worth of logs.

WHY IS THIS ACTION TAKING PLACE?
Basically it’s as the sign says – Enough is Enough. Industy has been logging on
the Islands since the last century and during this time there have been many
attempts to resolve the issues. In the 1960s, Tree Farm Licenses were issued in
a shadow of corruption and cronyism and logging accelerated, reaching a peak of
2.2 million cubic metres a year. Through these years, as the wealth left the
Islands and while the license holders made their fortunes, communities were
left with nothing. It is also clear that the amount of forest being cut is not
sustainable. In many attempts to address the issue of Rights and Title, there
has been little in the way of concilliation through negotiation.
• As the Haida Nation attempted to negotiate with the Provincial government, the
Province has insisted that it must be business as usual for the forest industry.
• The Province has chosen to ignore the orders of the Supreme Court of Canada in
upholding the Honor of the Crown. Instead of fair dealings, the Province has
passed legislation to get out of its obligation, giving almost all regulatory
authority over to the forest industry.
• As the Haida Nation and fellow Islanders finished a 2-year land-use planning
process, the Ministry of Forests began issuing cutting permits in areas that
are needed for purposes other than logging.

THE OBJECTIVE
A sustainabile economy for the Islands in consideration of the well-being of the
land that support the conditions for a continuing culture.

WHAT DOES THE WEYERHAUESER SALE MEAN AND WHY NOW?
The sale of Weyerhaeuser to Brascan is a $1.2 billion dollar deal. The reason
the action is happening now is that the province has refused to consult the
Haida, and if the deal goes through the new buyer will need to generate quick
returns on investment, which can only mean a faster rate of logging. Just like
Weyerhaeuser practices now are having a negative impact on our communities, it
will be just more of the same.

IS THIS ANTI-LOGGING?
No. This is about ensuring a future for all of us. This is about keeping enough
forest standing so that our future is secure and there are jobs, trees and
salmon for all of us for the long term. Together we are designing a future that
will work, and we can make it happen if we all pull together. We have watched
the big companies operate here and we all know it doesn’t work for Islands
people, communities. We have to take this stand to be able to design a future
that will take care of the land and the people who live here. This action is
based on local control and making things here on the Islands – not shipping raw
logs off to be cut up somewhere else.

VOLUNTEER SIGN UP INFORMATION
Call May Russ to sign on: 1-250-626-5252 or toll free 1-888-638-7778 or home
626-5037. Call Nika’s Danny at 559-8133 and leave a message if the machine
comes on. To strengthen our action we are inviting people to join us at the
line. Shifts on the Line have been set up. They are 4 hours each – a small
investment to ensure our Islands future. Please contact Melinda Pick or at
559-8834 or or Cindy Blake. Information is also available at www.haidanation.ca