The People Have Spoken, and Spoken, and Spoken

You hear senior staff at the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources talk about consulting the people of Nova Scotia on what we want for our forests, but there's been tons of public consultation.  They should know what we want by now. Remember the famous Voluntary Planning process back in 2008?  Literally thousands of Nova Scotians in 27 community meetings all over the province, written submissions, workshops, panels...   And then,  a comprehensive report, Our Common Ground, (find the download link below or in our Resources section).  Then, following that, more consultations and another massive report, our official Natural Resource Strategy, The Path We Share.  Common ground, a shared path -  sometimes you've got to wonder.

The Voluntary Planning document, Our Common Ground, was divided up into five subject areas; Sustainability, Diversity, Collaboration, Transparency, and Informed Decision Making.

In Sustainability a phrase often repeated since then was coined: "The status quo is not an option."  It said then current practices were not sustainable.  "Our resources and the communities that rely on them are in decline."  Sound familiar?  The people recognized the overwhelming importance of biodiversity.  They said the short term was eclipsing the long term. They emphasized the connection between healthy forests and clean soil, water, and air. They called for green forest practices and the promotion of more value-added forest products.  ​​

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