Above is the tenure breakdown on 2/3's of our Islands forest resource. 1/3 Abitibi Bowater, 1/3 Kruger, and what's left (not shown) is Crown controlled. The brown section is the Chartered land around Red Indian Lake which AB has a 999yr lease on! WHOA EH??!! Who signed that deal?
With the union members at the mill in GFW recently rejecting the amended 'secret' offer to 'restructure' the operation, the rest of us are left wondering...What are they not telling us? Why so secretive? Who's going to benefit off our backs this time? Where are they gonna dump the body (the new 'best deal' they're gonna release to the rest of us one day shortly)?
There are a few key points which aren't being discussed in the mainstream media. The most obvious being the hydro rights associated with their milling operations. Now, there are other issues associated with that hydro power that make it even more of a hot topic amongst those studying the issue of industrial water users on this side of the border, and I may get time to go into those, but for now we'll deal with AbitibiBowater and their current negotiation with our government and the national unions representing the mill employees.
Some of the key points missing from the media debate, which first focused on the 170 jobs and has since moved onto the 1100 jobs that are actually at stake along with the towns only economic engine, are;
1) 999 year lease on District 12, or Red Indian Lake (known as chartered land).
2) Star Lake Hydro (issue includes NAFTA and private power companies owning hydro facilities).
3) NAFTA chapters 6 & 12 coming into play when the power corridor gets put in from Labrador (NL Hydro, Fortis, NL Power, Churchill Falls / Lower Chirchill Development, NL's new power corporation etc. all are part of this picture).
4) Bill 27 (http://www.assembly.nl.ca/business/bills/Bill0227.htm) and its clause whcih forces the company onto an open public debate on their 100 year timber lease over 1/3 of Newfoundland's forest.
5) Where has this company been investing its money? Directly into their power facilites, not into their mill! That should be 'the tell' for everybody on this!
6) The demand for clean water and clean energy in the US. Where are the closest undeveloped resources that can feed this real and increasing demand? Who is in control of their development?
7) Think about the link between security corridors (ie Atlantica), hydro energy, and freshwater.
So...what we need to do is become informed, and demand that our politicians inform us of what really is at stake here.
To talk about 170 jobs alone should be considered a criminal act, and not be tolerated in todays world.
