Re: Support for Ontario’s…

Re: Support for Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy, ERO# 019-0880

As an employee of Resolute Forest Products and a Registered Professional Forester (with 18 years of experience), thank you for the opportunity to comment on Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy, Environmental Registry of Ontario number 019-0880. I am writing to you today to express support for this proposal.

At Resolute, our approach to sustainability is driven by the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic. Ensuring the sustainability of the forests in our care and collaborating on forest management planning and innovation drive our approach to forestry.

With a regional economic impact of nearly half a billion dollars, annually, Resolute is not only a major contributor to the socio-economic well-being of Northwestern Ontario, but also a large employer and driver of economic growth and prosperity in the Province. Our pulp and paper mill, three (3) sawmills, wood pellet plant, bio-refinery and woodlands operations make us by far the largest forest products company operating in Ontario. We produce approximately 600,000 Megawatt hours of power every year, the majority from renewable biomass. Our close to 900 employees have an annual payroll of $85 million, and 3,000 indirect jobs are associated with our operations.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s (MNRF) vision of establishing Ontario’s forest sector as a world leader in producing and selling forest products from renewable, sustainable and responsibly managed forests is an ambitious one. The draft includes five key principles and four pillars of action related to putting more wood to work, improving cost competitiveness, fostering innovation, and promoting stewardship and sustainability. The MNRF should take pride in the document they have created.

Through the development and implementation of a Forest Sector Strategy, Ontario has committed to positioning itself as a leading forestry jurisdiction within Canada. A healthy and sustainable forest industry will strengthen northern and rural communities across Ontario. Increasing available wood supply, making strategic investments in the forest access roads funding program, and ensuring free and open access to American markets is critically important, and these items continue to be top of mind to me as an employee in the forests products industry.

A pre-requisite for a successful Forest Sector Strategy is a permanent solution to the duplication between the Crown Forest Sustainability Act (CFSA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). I am pleased to see that MNRF is actively addressing this item, and I am very supportive of ERO# 019-1020, Proposed Changes to the Crown Forest Sustainability Act.

Ontario and the MNRF embarked on similar strategies, red tape reduction initiatives, and process streamlining in the past. Some excellent documents and recommendations were developed as a result; however, not enough focus was placed on the implementation or roll-out of these strategies. As a result, systematic and cultural change within the Ministry was never achieved. On page 32 of the draft strategy, MNRF identifies the development of an implementation plan. This is an essential path forward, ensuring our best chance of success, and something I support.

The forest sector is an important part of Ontario’s history and critical to the future of my business and community. I would like to thank the Ontario Government and the MNRF for their leadership on this file and look forward to reviewing the finalized strategy.