Voluntary Planning

Vision:
For future generations we need conservation of biodiversity, e.g. mixed forests.

For minerals, policed mineral extraction with adequate clean-up maintenance funding deposited by company. Also maximum local jobs.

For Parks we need accessible (by bus) green space around cities for people to recuperate in. Also a strong protection of all coastal areas to create parks (need more $$)

Strengths:
The benefits:
Biodiversity - we are learning that all parts of an eco-system depend on each other - and that includes humans. E.g development around the Cole Harbour saltmarsh has coated the seabed with run-off mud, and the families of ducklings that used to be raised in every cove have gone.

Forests - we all know about CO2 absorption and the way that clear-cutting allows the soil to be washed-out. Forests keep us cool and healthy by absorbing CO2, and provide renewable income.

Minerals: benefits are jobs - but not many and often not for long

Parks - we need them to refresh ourselves and to harbour wild animals.

Barriers and Issues:
Biodiversity - generally where humans go animals disappear, or change (crows instead of swallows). We must conserve areas not essential to humans free from human interference.

Forests, problems are: clear-cutting; single species planting; spraying because of single species infection; exporting logs instead of processing them in NS. Mostly the result of going for profit now instead of sustained yield.

Minerals: pollution from residues left behind when the company leaves with no long-term clean-up funds deposited.

Parks: as you say they don't pay for themselves; we cannot afford tax cuts because we need more parks..

Community's Priorities:
I personally believe we need large "No-go for humans" areas in an enlarged park system to make sure we maintain biodiversity. We are lucky enough to have the space to do that; few other countries are so lucky.

For forestry we evidently need a thorough review under the present competition form overseas, combined with the ham-stringing effect of NAFTA and the SPP.

For minerals I think we need strongly enforced safeguards as outlined above.

For Parks we need more; some parts should be for animals only or we will lose biodiversity. And we need special ATV parks as a legitimate outlet for their riders and to keep the thoughtless few drivers from ruining the terrain overall.

Guiding the health and sustainability:
Realization that if we fail to look after biodiversity and the forests this generation of children will inherit a degraded earth.

We need continued collaboration with NGOs such as the scheme to purchase islands in Mahone Bay with the Mahone Islands Conservation Association.
Also hearings such as this one are great, so long as they result in action.

Additional Comments:
I agree with Silver Donald Cameron (Sunday Herald June 1) in using the realistic, responsible, "GPI" measure of measuring progress rather than the primarily profit-based GDP. It is a matter of survival that we change from the politics of immediate profit to a form of politics that takes the long term effects of what we do into account.