The Wilderness Committee is calling on the provincial government to ensure Tolko properly decommissions all logging roads.

WINNIPEG - Deteriorating logging roads will continue to disrupt Grass River Provincial Park, woodland caribou and northern forests unless Tolko is required to decommission them.

The Wilderness Committee is sounding the alarm about the ecological liability of abandoned logging roads and is urging the Manitoba government to ensure that all logging roads are officially decommissioned.

“Having Tolko abruptly put more than 300 people out of work is already painful enough. The corporation can't be allowed to leave a mess of the northern forests too,” said Eric Reder, Manitoba Campaign Director for the Wilderness Committee.

Tolko has built thousands of kilometers of all-weather logging roads spread out over one-fifth of Manitoba's forest region. Leaving these roads in place will continue to negatively affect moose and woodland caribou by increasing predation from wolves, as well as providing access for humans into forests that should be off-limits.

“When Tembec left eastern Manitoba, none of the logging roads were decommissioned,” said Reder. “Years later, gates are not controlled properly, and our moose and woodland caribou populations continue to be impacted.”

The Wilderness Committee is calling on the Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox to enforce the decommissioning plan listed in the environmental licence for the Dickstone South Road as of December 3, 2016 once Tolko has closed and ensure the decommissioning plan for all logging roads is publicized.

“Affected northern community members must be given first opportunity to do this important decommissioning work,” said Reder. “We must show corporations that they can’t cut and run, leaving the public on the hook for millions of dollars and decades of damages.”

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For more information, please contact:

Eric Reder | Manitoba Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee

204-997-8584, eric@wildernesscommittee.org

Additional Media Resources
PHOTO:  Logging Roads in Grass River Provincial Park