I'm breaking my blog-silence to point out this appalling news: the premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell, has agreed to allowing forest companies to log BC Parks. The excuse, for now, is that it will stop the spread of pine beetles.

However, Barry Dobbin, the forests ministry's assistant bark-beetle coordinator, admits that logging won't help fight beetle infestations, and Joe Foy of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee feels that the premier actually wants large-scale logging operations in the parks.

This is about a year after the same government announced the "working forest" strategy, in which all forests in BC (except parks) would be "open for business". Now, apparently, the parks -- which include some of the last examples of untouched rainforest -- are on the chopping block too. Or, more accurately, they'll become chopping blocks and many other fine commercial products.

Here are the links. First, the pro-business perspective from Canada.com:
B.C. parks, forests ministry will combat bark beetles

And the independent media perspective:
Premier?s Agenda to Log BC Parks Shocks Environmental Community