A ‘Clear-Cut’ Need to Protect Intact Forests (Op-Ed)

Did you know that in just two projects, more than 10,000 trees in the Lemay Forest and St Mary’s/Perimeter area are slated to be wiped out? In the year 2021. In a climate crisis.

Coalition members Erna Buffie & Emma Durand-Wood wrote about the need to preserve Winnipeg’s remaining intact forests in an op-ed in today’s Free Press (Oct 28, 2021): A ‘clear-cut’ need to protect intact forests

So forgive us if we find it deeply ironic that the environmental report for the St. Mary’s project concludes that the greatest risk to public safety and health is “associated with vehicle collisions and vehicle-wildlife collisions.”

No mention of the risks associated with destroying a forest to expand roads and increase traffic, in the middle of a climate crisis. No mention of the reduction in overall urban biodiversity, or the loss in benefits these trees provide, from carbon capture and storage to air-pollution reduction.

So where does that leave us? Well, it seems to leave us in a position where we need to re-examine what we really value.