DECI 1970

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

9

"§ NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE

UREPORTS ON POLLUTION CONTROL HEARINGS

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Last year in the excellent report to
the convention, authored by Brother
John Hayward, we received a thorough
assessment of the pollution and environ-
mental problems facing the province.

This year, in the first meeting of the
Natural Resources Committee, it was
agreed that perhaps the labour movement
had done enough talking about the prob-
lems and that it was time to do something
concrete about them.

The first order of business was the-

forthcoming public hearings into waste
management and environmental control
in the forest products industry to be held
by the Pollution Control Branch on August
1ith. The initial press release announc-
ing the hearings implied that, in addition
to technical data, there would be con-
sideration of the social and economic
problems that would arise. It was de-
cided that the Federation would collect
for the use of the committee as much
technical material as possible and then
determine if it would be feasible to sub-
mit a technical brief.

Studies and reports dealing with pulp
mill pollution were obtained from the
Water Resources Commission of Ontario,
Pollution Probe and the Federal Water
Pollution Control Administration, North-
west Regional Office of the U.S.

In our next meeting we determined
that we did not possess the expertise
necessary to submit a technical brief and
that, instead, we would submit a position
paper relative to the social and economic
aspects of pulp mill pollution as they ap-
plied to trade union members working in
the industry (later at the hearings them-
selves, it was discovered that technical
briefs only were considered worthy of
merit).

At this same meeting we met with the
Executive of the Society of Pollution and
Environmental Control and began to ham-
mer out a mutual understanding and a
working relationship. Specialists from
SPEC gave us some idea of the technical
aspects of pulp mill pollution on land, in
air and water. From this, your committee
determined that only experienced ecolo-
gists, biologists,, engineers, etc., were
qualified in this regard. Subsequently, this
was proven to have been a wise decision
in view of the course the hearings took.

Shortly thereafter, your committee
submitted the position paper to the Pollu-
tion Control Branch in the matter of the

“ZORRY CHUM —You'LL
HAVE To WORK FoR iT”

hearings, the gist of which was that or-
ganized labour understood the need for
proper controls in pulp mills. We also un-
derstood the necessity for possible shut-
downs of mills due to the installation of
pollution coniroi equipment and even the
phasing out of some mills because of the
impossibility of installing the necessary
equipment and updating them, due to
their age. We believed, however, that the
workmen displaced by these changes
should be protected by all levels of gov-
ernment, that there should be retraining
programmes, moving allowances to the
sites of new mills, advance notice and in-
come maintenance during the transition
period. We advised that we would be at-
tending the hearings and would be happy
to answer any questions.

Your committee met again with the
executive officers of SPEC and worked
out what we believe to be general outlines

of co-operation. We will deal with these
further in the report.

Miss Phyllis Young, Federation Re-
search Assistant, and member of the Nat-
ural Resources Committee, attended most
of the hearings beginning August 11th.

She reports that, from the outset, she
was given the impression that one of the
motives of the hearings was to discour-
age public participation. The hearings
were held in the B.C. Research Council
Building which is in one of the most iso-

‘lated parts of the UBC campus and, due

to an intricate pass system, those mem-
bers of the public not presenting briefs
were relegated to a room some distance
away from the hearing room where they

were forced to watch the proceedings on
closed circuit television.

The hearings were conducted in an
extremely formal fashion, paralleling the
adversary system of the courts. Citizen
groups who presented briefs expressing
deep concern about increasing environ-
mental destruction by the forest industry
were severely criticized from the chair for
not offering specific and scientific data to
prove their contentions. In some cases,
they were held up to public ridicule by
cross-examiners from the forest industry.
The attack on the B.C. Wildlife Federation
could only be termed vicious. Miss Young
gained a further impression that the hear-
ings had been held to put down the citi-
zen groups for once and for all “to get
the ecology freaks out of our hair.” »

The first half of the well-prepared brief
of the Society for Pollution and Environ-
mental Control was somewhat general in
nature and had been prepared by SPEC’s
legal directors. The second half, dealing
in great scientific detail with all forms of
pulp mill pollution and logging practices
had been prepared by SPEC ecologists.
The spokesman for the forest industry ad-
mitted himself at a loss to deal with this

part of the brief as it was far too technical
for him to understand.

Then the forest industry (of which
there must have been 12 or 15 represen-
tatives present) began to attack the first
portion. This proved to be a major mistake
because, as a result of their questions,
SPEC was able to introduce documented
evidence through photographs, affidavits
and certified statements that his conten-
tions were based on fact. Some of the.
most telling evidence had been obtained
from men working in the mills themselves
who had felt so deeply about their dete-
riorating environment that they had been
willing to put their jobs on the line and to
file affidavits with SPEC telling about spe-

cific pollution problems that existed in
their work.

In spite of their protestations, the for-
est industry’s objections to admission of
this evidence were overruled as they had
been the ones who had requested the
proof. SPEC also pointed out that they
had contacted every large forest industry -
company in the province and requested
information from them about their in-plant
poliution control systems. They had told
SPEC politely, but firmly, to mind its own
business. These replies were then read
into the record of the hearings.

Shortly thereafter, the forest industry
brief was presented. Much to the con-
sternation of the chairman, it was a mass
of generalizations, pious philosophy and
gobbledy-gook. By comparison, it made
the poorest citizen group’s brief look like
a textbook of ecology. Facts, figures and
scientific data were conspicuous by their
absence. The chairman had no choice but
to give the forest industry a thorough
dressing-down for its ineptitude. Panel
members asking for specific details were
invariably answered that the industry
would have to check back with their indi-
vidual companies and submit the answer
at a later date. In a word, it was a fiasco.

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