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In the mid-1990s, police used DNA to link a trio of assaults in Kitchener, Brampton and Oakville parks to the same suspect — dubbed the “Woodland Rapist” in media coverage
In the mid-1990s, police used DNA to link a trio of assaults in Kitchener, Brampton and Oakville parks to the same suspect — dubbed the “Woodland Rapist” in media coverage
KEY managerial personnel have not yet been appointed to ‘Project Woodlands’, the latest strategy to reform the Department of Agriculture’s “chaotic” forestry licensing system.
More than a month after its launch, and eight months since legislation was drafted to straighten out the licensing process, the Department says the recruitment process is still “underway”.
Meanwhile, thousands of licence applications remain backlogged, monthly planting targets are being consistently missed and contractors and young foresters are continuing to leave the unravelling industry.
On the flip side, industry sources say timber prices are at “an all-time high” with quotes of €100 per cubic metre, as saw mills continue to rely on costly sawn log imports from Scotland.
Pressure is mounting on the Department of Agriculture to “abolish” its forestry licensing system as an estimated 4,500 applications are still backlogged for processing.
The latest figures show that 2,760 felling applications, 1,009 afforestation applications and 684 roads applications are still awaiting approval.
Last week, the Department published a new report – ‘Project Woodlands’ – which says a revised governance structure at the helm is required to overcome long-running issues which have hampered the sector’s growth in recent years. The report is focused on the implementation of the Mackinnon report on forestry licences which was published in November 2019..
Nonetheless, Professor John Fitzgerald, a leading economist and former chairman of the Climate Change Advisory Council, is urging the Department to “scrap” its current licensing system and replace it with an EPA regulated regime.