Forest Management Certification Assessment Report for - Rainforest ...

FSC PrincipleP4: CommunityRelations &Workers’ RightsComments from InterestedParties• Tembec has not lived up to itscommitments to continue to provideemployment opportunities and goodsand services benefits to the Crestonarea.Assessment Team Response• Tembec has agreed to a defined level ofbenefits with the City of Creston, but isnot being fully achieved. CARs 7/06and 8/06 are imposed to address therequirement for local employment andpurchasing in the Creston area.Observation 4.1.6 is made to improvecommunication with Creston TownCouncil and interested citizens.P4: CommunityRelations &Workers’ Rights• Opportunities to cooperate with theCreston Valley Community Forest tostrengthen and diversify the localeconomy have not been acted on byTembec.• There is very little employment andgood and services purchased in theElkford/Sparwood area.• Tembec largest logging contractor,Prairie Holdings Inc. is affiliatedwith a polygamist religious group.Some people feel that polygamy isagainst the law in Canada.• The FSC Standard limits assessment ofactions to strengthen and diversify thelocal economy to the provision of a“diversity of timber and non-timberforest products”, so this concern wasnot within the scope of this assessment.The team is aware of some recentexamples of Tembec co-operation withthe Community Forest.• Elkford and Sparwood are historicallyand primarily coal miningcommunities. However, they are withina daily commute from Cranbrook andare included within the definition of the“local area” for the operations withinthe Cranbrook TSA and thus wereincluded within the assessment. TheBC standard requires Tembec toemploy people from within this “local”area for work on this licence, whichTembec does. As well, Tembec has notbeen approached by the local municipalgovernment with concerns about thispractice. No non-conformance wasfound.• The FSC standard focuses on forestmanagement and does not addressreligious or marriage practices so thisconcern is outside the scope of thisassessment.Page 19 of 89