Editor:
This is the other side of the coin relative to the recent advertisment submitted by the Community Forest board published in Coast Reporter dated Aug. 7, 2009.
Sechelt's Community Forest board of directors operates via Sunshine Coast Projects Inc. (SCPI)
This board appoints an advisory committee to oversee the organizations' operation. Frustration and mistrust generated by the SCPI board and its lack of accountability to both its sole share holder (Sechelt council) and the public at large has now alienated its own advisory committee CFAC
This is apparent from the following motion passed unanimously by CFAC on April 21, 2009, as follows: WHEREAS the purpose of the SC Community Forest is to further the involvement of the community in the operation of the Community Forest; AND WHEREAS on of the fundamentals for CFAC is to allow the input of the community and of CFAC itself through the medium of the walkabout; AND WHEREAS it is normal procedure for a licence holder to prepare a variety of cutting permits in advance to take advantage of market conditions and to allow community input into harvest plan; AND WHEREAS the Terms of Reference for CFAC state that it is the role of CFAC to "review and comment on the operational plans for the Community Forest";
BE IT RESOLVED "THAT CFAC will withhold support of any further harvesting or silviculture plans within the Community Forest unless due process is followed. By this is meant that CFAC has full opportunity to comment on all proposed operating and site plans."
Information is now limited by way of freedom of information requests; a sad reflection on the board's regard for the community it purports to serve.
John Keates
Davis Bay
