John Boivin
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Journalism: The over-exploitation of BC forests
Library: Destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of biodiversity
Journalism: Loss of forest-related employment
Journalism: The need to expedite final treaties with First Nations
Journalism: Loss of primary forest
Journalism: Loss of carbon sequestration capacity
Other notable forest-related writing and reports
Noteworthy writing and reports from the forest-industrial complex
Forest News
Library: The over-exploitation of BC forests
Library: Loss of primary forest
Library: Loss of the hydrological functions of forests
Make conservation of the hydrological function of forests a higher priority than timber extraction
Library: Loss of forest-related employment
Library: The need to expedite final treaties with First Nations
Transition from clearcut logging to selection logging
Library: Increase in forest fire hazard
Journalism: End public subsidization of BC's forest industry
Library: End public subsidization of BC's forest industry
Library: The need to reform BC forest legislation
Journalism: The need to reform BC forest legislation
Library: Creating a new vision for BC forests
Forest industry public subsidy calculator
Manufacturing and processing facilities
Forest Trends
Investigations
Community Forest Mapping Projects
Area-based calculations of carbon released from clearcut logging
Journalism: The increase in forest carbon emissions
Library: Increase in forest carbon emissions
To protect biodiversity, transition away from clearcut logging
Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance
Library: Loss of future employment resulting from exporting raw logs
Mapping old forest on Vancouver Island
Mapping old forest in Omineca Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Skeena Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Northeastern Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Cariboo Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in South Coast Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Thompson-Okanagan Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Kootenay-Boundary Natural Resource Region
Forest Conservation Organizations
Mapping old forest on Haida Gwaii
Mapping old forest on the central coast
Library: Ecologically damaging practices
Journalism: Ecologically damaging practices
Critical Issues
Analysis
Comment
Listed species: Cascades Natural Resource District
Listed species: 100 Mile House Natural Resource District
Listed species: Campbell River Natural Resource District
Listed species: Cariboo-Chilcotin Natural Resource District
Listed species: Chilliwack River Natural Resource District
Listed species: Fort Nelson Natural Resource District
Listed species: Haida Gwaii Natural Resource District
Listed species: Mackenzie Natural Resource District
Listed species: Nadina Natural Resource District
Listed species: North Island Natural Resource District
Listed species: Peace Natural Resource District
Listed species: Prince George Natural Resource District
Listed species: Quesnel Natural Resource District
Listed species: Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District
Listed species: Sea-to-Sky Natural Resource District
Listed species: Selkirk Natural Resource District
Listed species: Skeena Natural Resource District
Listed species: South Island Natural Resource District
Listed species: Stuart-Nechako Natural Resource District
Listed species: Sunshine Coast Natural Resource District
Listed species: Thompson Rivers Natural Resource District
Listed species: Coast Mountains Natural Resource District
Action Group: Divestment from forest-removal companies
Fact-checking mindustry myths
First Nations Agreements
Monitor: BC Timber Sales Auctions
BC Timber Sales auction of old-growth forests on Vancouver Island
Monitoring of forest fires in clearcuts and plantations: 2021
Library: End public subsidization of forest industry
Examples of engaging the mindustry:
Portal: The over-exploitation of BC forests
Portal: The need to reform BC forest legislation
Portal: The need to expedite treaties with First Nations
Portal: The need to get more organized, informed and inspired for change
Portal: Develop a new relationship with forests
Portal: Destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of biodiversity
Portal: Loss of the hydrological functions of forests
Portal: Increase in forest fire hazard
Portal: Loss of carbon sequestration capacity
Portal: Increase in forest carbon emissions
Portal: Ecologically damaging forestry practices
Portal: Loss of forest-related employment
Portal: Loss of future employment resulting from raw log exports
Portal: Costs of floods, fires and clearcutting of watersheds
Portal: The economic impact on communities of boom and bust cycles
Portal: Loss of economic development by other forest-based sectors
Portal: The true cost of subsidies provided to the logging industry
Help
Loss of trust in institutions
Portal: The instability of communities dependent on forest extraction
Portal: The psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Portal: Loss of trust in institutions caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Portal: Social division caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Journalism: The instability of communities dependent on forest extraction
Journalism: Psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Journalism: Loss in trust of institutions as a result of over-exploitation of BC forests
Journalism: Social division caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Library: The instability of communities dependent on forest extraction
Library: Psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Library: Loss of trust in institutions as a result of over-exploitation of BC forests
Library: Social division caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Resources: Psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Resources: The economic impact on communities of boom-and-bust cycles
Resources: Loss of economic development potential in other forest-based sectors
Journalism: Cost of floods, fires and clearcutting of community watersheds
Journalism: The economic impact on communities of boom-and-bust cycles
Journalism: Loss of economic development potential in other forest-based sectors
Library: Cost of floods, fires and clearcutting of community watersheds
Library: The economic impact on communities of boom-and-bust cycles
Library: Loss of economic development potential in other forest-based sectors
Portal: Permanent loss of forests to logging roads
Portal: The economic costs of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Journalism: Permanent loss of forests to logging roads
Library: Permanent loss of forests to logging roads
Journalism: The economic costs of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Library: The economic costs of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Resources: The economic costs of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Resources: Ecologically damaging forestry practices
Resources: Conversion of forests to permanent logging roads
Library: Getting organized
Journalism: Getting organized
Forest politics
Forest Stewards
Portal: Plantation failure
Library: Plantation failure
Journalism: Plantation failure
Library: Loss of carbon sequestration capacity
Portal: Soil loss and damage
Journalism: Soil loss and damage
Library: Soil loss and damage
Resources: Soil loss and damage
Journalism: Loss of employment resulting from export of raw logs
Journalism: Destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of biodiversity
Journalism: Loss of the hydrological functions of forests
Journalism: Increase in forest fire hazard
Action Group: Sunlighting professional reliance
Making the case for much greater conservation of BC forests
Science Alliance for Forestry Transformation
Bearing witness:
Economic State of the BC Forest Sector
Big tree mapping and monitoring
Reported Elsewhere
Protect more
Start a forest conservation project
Get involved
Article reference pages
Physical impacts created by logging industry
Nature Directed Stewardship at Glade and Laird watersheds
References for: How did 22 TFLs in BC evade legal old-growth management areas?
References for: BC's triangle of fire: More than just climate change
References for: Teal Cedar goes after Fairy Creek leaders
References for: Is the draft framework on biodiversity and ecosystem health something new? Or just more talk and log?
IWTF events, articles and videos
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Everything posted by John Boivin
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Cooper Creek Cedar, a logging company, had sought information about forest defenders' use of social media. Originally published in the Valley Voice under the Local Journalism Initiative. Photos by Louis Bockner. Forest defenders blocked a road leading to the Argenta Face in May 2022 A BRITISH COLUMBIA SUPREME COURT JUDGE has rejected a logging company’s request for a court order allowing them to probe into the social media activities of members of a Kootenay environmental group. Madam Justice Lindsay Lyster released her decision in favour of Last Stand West Kootenay (LSWK) last week, saying granting the request (for a legal instrument called a ‘Norwich order’) by Cooper Creek Cedar would “not be in the interests of justice” and would suppress legitimate, peaceful protest. “In my view, granting a Norwich order to require the third parties to disclose information about LSWK would have a chilling effect on LSWK and others engaging in expressive and associational activities in support of their political and social aims,” Lyster wrote in her March 27 judgement. Cooper Creek Cedar had applied for the Norwich order last September, saying the online activities of Last Stand West Kootenay supporters had done financial harm to the company. It has faced protests by LSWK for its activities in an area called the Argenta Face, at the north end of Kootenay Lake. The company said the social media activities of the protestors – including encouraging people to go to a protest camp near the logging site, and asking for donations to support the cause – constituted real harm to the company. The company said it needed the names and contact information of six particular protest supporters, including their log-in information, when they registered their accounts, and the dates and times of their last 300 log-ins. Case not proven Norwich orders are normally used to compel third-party companies – a bank, social media site like Facebook or domain-registration company – to release identifying information to an aggrieved party. But Lyster pointed out such orders are usually granted in cases of serious fraud or online defamation – when there are real issues with anonymous wrongdoers and concerns money could be unrecoverable without the information. She said Cooper Creek Cedar hadn’t proved they needed the order to do that. “I find that the third parties are not the only practical source of information,” she wrote in her decision. “LSWK had an email address; Cooper Creek used that email address to send LSWK a copy of the injunction. There is no evidence that Cooper Creek has sought any information directly from LSWK about its posts, or who is associated with LSWK. “Rather than seek information directly from LSWK or these individuals, or amend its notice of civil claim to name the individuals and use the normal discovery processes, Cooper Creek has resorted to the rare and unusual remedy of a Norwich order.” Lyster doesn’t reject outright Cooper Creek Cedar’s claim that some of the protestors may have caused the company harm, or that there may have been a breach of an earlier injunction. But she called many of the claims unclear, and was “skeptical” the social media posts of the named defendants constituted wrongdoing. Even if that was the case, she ruled the logging company just didn’t need a Norwich order to achieve its aims. “It is incumbent on a party seeking a Norwich order to obtain information of the kind sought by Cooper Creek to exhaust other available means of obtaining the information sought before asking the court to make a Norwich order,” the judge wrote. Further, Lyster said the majority of Last Stand West Kootenay’s posts were exhorting people to support their protest and engage in peaceful, legal actions to protect the forest and aboriginal rights. “Most of LSWK’s posts are not evidence of any sort of unlawful activity. It is lawful to engage in peaceful protest, to write letters to politicians about matters of social concern, to sign petitions, to hold potlucks and dances and other events to raise awareness, and to raise money to pay for legal fees, food and tents,” she ruled. “Those activities are the lifeblood of democratic engagement, not the stuff of tortious interference, or breach of the Injunction.” Lyster said the heavy hand of a Norwich order would discourage such protest from occurring. “Considered in light of the fact that a Norwich order is not the only practical means for Cooper Creek to obtain the information it seeks about potentially unlawful activities, it would not be in the interests of justice to grant the Norwich order sought in relation to LSWK,” she concluded. “…For the reasons given, I dismiss Cooper Creek’s application for Norwich orders in its entirety.” The lawyer defending Last Stand West Kootenay over the Argenta Face protests hailed the decision. “This is an exciting decision for Last Stand West Kootenay and other anonymous groups supporting lawful civil disobedience,” says Noah Ross. “…This is the first time a corporation has tried to get a Norwich order to find the identity of operators of civil society groups. Madam Justice Lyster's decision indicates that groups such as LSWK can continue to operate anonymously without consequences unless they promote illegal activity on their social media accounts.” Meanwhile, 17 members and supporters of LSWK still face legal consequences after a police raid on the protestor’s camp on a logging road leading to the Argenta Face in May 2022. Protesters first appeared in court on breach-of-injunction charges last summer, but the case has not proceeded since that time. Cooper Creek said in August it planned to ask the Crown to lay criminal contempt charges against the protestors, instead of the company pursuing civil contempt remedies. But the case has not moved forward since last summer. There have been no further protests at the logging site since June of last year.
