Re: Boreal forest deal surprisingly successful, Opinion, May 25

It's no surprise the president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada paints a pretty picture of the first year of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA).

The deal was, after all, designed to shine up the image of the logging industry and put an end to what he calls "polarized debates" through a "marriage" with environmentalists.

This rosy picture is, however, divorced from reality, because the facts on the ground have not really changed.

The habitat of caribou and other iconic species in the boreal forest is still threatened by logging, mining and other development.

Logging and mining expansion in the boreal must be stopped, and the rights of local first nations must be respected.

The so-called marriage represented by the CBFA does not bring us closer to either of these goals. If only an annulment were still an option.

Eric Reder, Wilderness Committee Canada
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