The Rural Voice, 2019-06, Page 59 Of course eventually these trees
may produce forest crops that will
also contribute to the economy.
I don’t pretend to be an
economist, or to fully understand the
survey methodology. But regardless
of what the bottom line is there are
many economic and ecological
benefits to trees planted under the
50MTP.
So, was it a mistake for our
current provincial government to
cancel the 50 Million Tree Program?
Well, there have certainly been
many folks expressing concern about
cancellation of the 50MTP. No
question, there will be some job
losses and loss of potential
ecosystem benefits. The program is
also not something that can be
stopped and then started again at a
moment’s notice. While Forests
Ontario will continue to support tree
planting to the best of their ability
with whatever funding they can find
from corporate or other partners, it
very likely will be at a much reduced
level.
It is a relatively small amount of
money in the greater scheme of
things, i.e. when compared to the
provincial budget. On the other hand,
I do understand the fiscal quandary
our government finds themselves in.
We obviously can’t continue
spending more money than we bring
in. I don’t envy those in the position
of balancing the need of funding for
items such as tree planting versus
health care or education. I understand
some cuts need to be made. I’m more
willing to accept them, if delivered in
a professional way with good
rationale.
However, I am concerned with a
few of quotes I’ve seen recently in
the media, attributed to MNR
Minister John Yakabuski and his
communications staff person Ms.
Justine Lewkowicz. They seem
somewhat misleading and inaccurate
to me and illustrate a less than full
understanding of the topic.
For example, one quote I saw had
them rationalizing the 50MTP
cancellation by saying the province
was already planting 68 million trees
per year at no cost to the taxpayers.
They should have known the trees
they are referring to are being planted
on Crown (public) land by logging
companies as part of their obligations
to reforest areas where they have
harvested Crown timber (i.e. the
taxpayers have paid timber in
exchange for these trees). While this
planting is very important, it is a
totally different situation than the
planting done under the 50MTP,
which was mostly done in rural areas
on private land. So, it’s another loss
for rural Ontario.
I’ve also seen quotes suggesting
the funding was frivolous,
duplicated other available
programs and questioning if public
funds should support activities on
private lands. I think the study
described above shows the spending
was not frivolous. There are no other
major programs that fill this niche –
that’s why it started initially. As to
whether or not public funds should
support activities on private land,
there is a long history in rural,
agricultural Ontario of such funding
for private land activities. The many
benefits of tree planting as described
above extend beyond property
boundaries and benefit the
community and province as a whole.
The benefits are also mainly realized
by future generations, not just the
landowner who plants the trees. It
does therefore seem reasonable for
the public to share in some of those
costs.
So to the Minister and his helper,
I realize the province may not be able
to afford the 50MTP and a number of
other programs right now. I am,
however, disappointed in your
comments that, in my opinion,
highlight a lack of full grasp of the
situation. ◊
June 2019 55
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