Review is “not directed at professionals per se, but whether the system under which they operate is functioning properly”.

Speaking at the Association of BC Forest Professionals AGM in Victoria on Friday, George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said “ensuring the public interest and the environment are protected” is behind the government’s review of the role of professionals in resource management. Citing the Mount Polly mine disaster and the Hullcar Aquifer [agriculture] situation as incidents that have created “public doubt”, Heyman added that the review is “not directed at professionals per se, but whether the system under which they operate is functioning properly”.Although forestry was not the reason for the review Heyman noted that “all professions need to be included because there are inconsistencies across the associations” and “system challenges have been identified by the Forest Practices Board” in the practice of professional forestry. Quoting the Board, Heyman mentioned situations “where forestry development has put environmental and community values at risk, yet district managers could do little to protect the public interest”; and “where multiple licensees operating on the same landbase may [unwittingly] undermined each other’s action to protect a non-timber value”.