Queens Bench Rule Review filed to clarify ban on logging in parks

Winnipeg—The Wilderness Committee has filed a legal action against the Manitoba government, with the intent of clarifying the recent ban on logging in provincial parks. Despite bringing in a logging ban in all provincial parks in June 2009, the government issued a license to Tolko Industries Ltd to build a logging road across Grass River Provincial Park in August 2009. The Wilderness Committee and Manitoba Wildlands believe that the clearing of forest for the construction of this logging road has no place in a Manitoba park.

"Manitobans love their parks," said Eric Reder, Campaign Director for the Wilderness Committee. "This legal action is a respectful, responsible way to resolve the dispute between the government and the thousands of Manitobans who want their parks protected from logging."

This legal action, a Queens Bench 14.05 Rule Review, is a necessary next step to uphold the public interest in protecting Manitoba's parks.

"The simple explanation is that we are asking a judge to give us a legal definition: is a logging road considered logging or not?" said Reder. "The Wilderness Committee and Manitoba Wildlands discussed this review with the Conservation Minister, and requested that the government pursue this judicial rule review with us. The Conservation Minister decided not to cooperate with us, and so the Wilderness Committee filed this action to clarify the law."

Tolko's Dickstone South logging road construction plan quietly received final approval from government in February 2011. Construction began in a remote section of Grass River Provincial Park in March 2011 and was stopped in April. The environmental license requires construction to halt between March 31 and July 15, when road construction is expected to resume in the park.

For more information, please contact:

Eric Reder, the Wilderness Committee (204) 997–8584
Gaile Whelan-Enns, Manitoba Wildlands (204) 981–3783