Former BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau will join a panel discussion on the environmental effects of clear-cut logging in British Columbia.
Furstenau, who stepped down as Green leader after losing her seat in the last provincial election, will speak at an event co-hosted by the Interior Watershed Task Force (IWTF) and Joe Rich Forestry Trails and Watershed Committee.
The evening will also feature a screening of the documentary Trouble In The Headwaters, which examines the 2018 Grand Forks flood and links industrial clear-cutting to environmental risks in the Kettle River Basin.
Filmmaker Daniel Pierce will attend to discuss his work, which follows UBC hydrology professor Dr. Younes Alila and two retired loggers. Together, they explore how logging in the Kettle River Watershed contributes to flooding, landslides, and drought across the province.
The panel includes Furstenau, Pierce, former Liberal MLA Mike Morris, Dave Gill of Ntityix Resources LP, Elliott Tonasket from the Syilx Okanagan Nation, and Dr. Alila. Each will share insights on how industrial forestry practices affect watersheds, biodiversity, and community safety.
Taryn Skalbania, IWTF co-founder, said the documentary and panel discussion will highlight the urgent need to stop commercial logging in primary forests, sensitive habitats, and community drinking watersheds.
She noted that while forestry has declined in B.C. over the decades, clear-cut logging still heavily influences land use decisions. She warned that short-term economic gains from logging threaten biodiversity and the quality of domestic drinking water.
The event will take place Thursday, Sept. 4, from 6:15 to 9 p.m. at the Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave. Tickets are free, though donations are welcome to help cover event costs.
