Thursday, May 22, 2014

South Shore Firewood Crisis Predicted

Imagine a South Shore home that relies on wood-heat not having firewood to burn! It translates into hardship and thats what the MLA for Queens-Shelburne is predicting if wood suppliers don't soon gain access to Crown lands to harvest wood for next fall and winter. Sterling Belliveau says his former NDP government secured the Bowater woodlands, protecting them from foreign buyers, and the present government is now refusing to issue permits to local fire wood suppliers. He says this is all about a lack of leadership by the Minister of Natural Resources.



Belliveau says firewood needs to be harvested now so it can dry through the summer for use next fall and winter. He's already been denied an emergency meeting of the province's Resources Committee to deal with the crisis. Belliveau says firewood producers have apparently met with staff from the Department of Natural Resources but with little success.