Tag Archives: An Act to Incorporate the Association of Registered Professional Foresters of New Brunswick

Bill 22: letter of opposition guidelines

This is for anyone trying to figure out how to voice their concern over the right to practice legislation in a letter of opposition. If you work or know anyone working any type of forestry job this act affects you. Even if you are a member of ARPFNB this act affects you.

Your letter does not need to be fancy or professionally done. The committee members just want to know why you object to the bill and that you may lose your job or lose workers. A few lines will do. If your interest or property may be affected by this bill, please write the Standing Committee on Private bills a letter of opposition and have it sent in before April 11th. The Bill is going to second reading on April 12th. The best way for everyone to voice their concern is in writing.

Some guidelines for your email letter of opposition:

Address the letter to:

Dear Members of the Standing committee on Private Bills,

Send your letter of Opposition to the committee members (all of them, just copy and paste): Carl.Killen@gnb.ca; Danny.Soucy@gnb.ca; jim.parrott@gnb.ca; jake.stewart@gnb.caSherry.Wilson@gnb.ca; Bertrand.LeBlanc@gnb.ca; Roger.L.Melanson@gnb.ca

Subject line: Opposing Bill 22: An Act to Incorporate the Association of Registered Professional Foresters of New Brunswick

Things you may want to write about:

    • You may want to state You wish you were consulted by the ARPFNB in the drafting of this legislation because you do not agree with the power they will hold over the forest industry if this passes.
    • You may want to say Forest tech’s will no longer be able to practice forestry in NB, only university graduates.
    • You may not agree with the mandatory membership
    • You may not agree with the authority they will be given to charge people for violations of the rules they have the discretion to make up.
    • Any reasons you want are valid to state. They want to know.

*If you would like to appear before the standing committee on Private bills to read your letter and/or speak your concerns, please call the assistant clerk of the legislative assembly to schedule time. The more people who do this the better! (But in the very least send in a letter!) Call Shayne Davies 453-2162.

Rebecca Jones

Treasurer, NBFTA

From the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly: NOTICE OF MEETING STANDING COMMITTEE ON PRIVATE BILLS

April 3, 2012

NOTICE OF MEETING
STANDING COMMITTEE ON PRIVATE BILLS

The Standing Committee on Private Bills will meet on Thursday, April 12, 2012, at 10:15 a.m., in the Legislative Council Chamber.

By order of the Chairman.

Shayne Davies
Clerk Assistant

AGENDA

Bill 21, Rothesay Netherwood School Act.

Bill 22, An Act to Incorporate the Association of Registered Professional Foresters
of New Brunswick.

The members of the Committee are: Mr. Killen, Mr. Soucy, Mr. Parrott, Mr. Stewart, Ms. Wilson, Mr. Bertrand LeBlanc, and Mr. Melanson.

le 3 avril 2011

AVIS DE RÉUNION
COMITÉ PERMANENT DES PROJETS DE LOI D’INTÉRÊT PRIVÉ

Le Comité permanent des projets de loi d’intérêt privé se réunira le jeudi 12 avril 2012 à 10 h 15, à la Chambre du Conseil législatif.

Par ordre du président.

Shayne Davies,
greffier adjoint de la Chambre et greffier
aux comités

ORDRE DU JOUR

Projet de loi 21, Loi sur la Rothesay Netherwood School.

Projet de loi 22, Loi constituant en personne morale l’Association des forestiers autorisés du Nouveau-Brunswick.

Les membres du comité sont les suivants : M. Killen, M. Soucy, M. Parrott, M. Stewart, Mme Wilson, M. Bertrand LeBlanc et M. Melanson.

8 DAYS LEFT – Where to send your letters objecting to Bill 22: An Act to Incorporate the Association of Registered Professional Foresters of New Brunswick

As the NBFTA begins our campaign to block the passage of Bill 22 in conjunction the many Stakeholders who also object, the working group asks that you direct all correspondence to the following MLA’s when voicing your concern over this:

Mr. Killen, Chair: Carl.Killen@gnb.ca
Tel: (506) 642-9774
Mr. Soucy, VC: Danny.Soucy@gnb.ca
Tel: (506) 473-7740
Mr. Parrott: Jim.Parrott@gnb.ca
Tel: (506) 757-2088
Mr. Stewart: Jake.Stewart@gnb.ca
Tel: (506) 843-7729
Tel: (506) 372-3301
Mr. Bertrand LeBlanc: Bertrand.LeBlanc@gnb.ca
Tel: (506) 876-3592
Tel: (506) 869-7000

YOU MUST RESPOND BY NO LATER THAN APRIL 12TH at 10:15 AM. NO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THAT TIME. THAT IS ONLY 8 DAYS FROM NOW.

Ideally you will send correspondence to each individual above and outline how this Act will affect you.

As a technician / technologist please remember that we were given an exemption and then had it retracted in the final draft. The draft document has been read, re-read, and read again. The ARPFNB was made aware of this omission on numerous occasions, all documented, leading up to first reading of the Act. It is the position of the NBFTA that the exemption removal was not an oversight by the ARPFNB.

That being said, even with an exemption, the NBFTA can not support this legislation because the Stakeholders identified failed to offer public support when solicited by the Executives of both ARPFNB and NBFTA.

Other bullet points to consider when crafting your letter of opposition:

  • You have to be a member of the ARPFNB to practice professional forestry in New Brunswick.
  • To be a member you must have a forestry degree from a recognized university.
  • The ARPFNB will have the power to determine what the practice of professional forestry in New Brunswick is.
  • If you are a private contractor who practices professional forestry in New Brunswick you will have to be a member of the ARPFNB in order to continue to practice professional forestry.
  • No single organization should have the power to dictate what constitutes professional forestry and set regulations to enforce those standards to all Stakeholders in the New Brunswick Forest Sector. Especially when those Stakeholders were not included in the drafting of the Act.
  • Private members bills are not to be used for legislation that is of public concern. This Act is of great public concern because it allows one small group of people to dictate how professional forestry is practiced throughout New Brunswick.
  • If this Act passes then a vast number of professionals and vocational workers will be excluded from doing the jobs for which they are trained to do. For example if this Act passes then a technician/technologist will not be allowed to do the following in a design and planning capacity:
  1. forest inventory work (timber cruising)
  2. silvicultural and harvest prescriptions for forest stands
  3. the analysis and assessment of the capability of forests, forest lands, and forest ecosystems to yield a flow of timber and other values
  4. the location of forest transportation systems (road location)
  5. the conservation, protection and renewal of forests, forest lands, and forest ecosystems
  6. the auditing of results of planned activities on forests, forest lands and forest ecosystems
  7. preparing, reviewing, amending and approving forest management and operating plans (this will apply to private land too)
  8. If you are teaching a core forestry course and you are not a member of the ARPFNB then you can no longer teach. Remember it will be the ARPFNB that decides what a core course is. Please be aware that a significant number of teachers in the forestry educational system are not foresters but technicians, technologists, and scientists.

For laborers and other forest workers who do not have a formal education from either a community college, forestry school, or university you can be affected by this too. The NBFTA is aware of numerous individuals who do not have such training but have been doing the work of technicians/technologists and foresters for years. You will be affected by this Act because you will not be eligible to join unless you go to university and obtain a forestry degree.

We, as an organization, have solicited many opinions on whether our interpretation of this Act was wrong. To date no one, including the ARPFNB has provided an alternative interpretation. In fact we have become aware that at least one ARPFNB member has resigned or in the process of resigning from ARPFNB because the member agrees with our interpretation and intends to oppose it.

Please send your letters to the contact list above ASAP as no submissions will be accepted after 10:15 AM on Thursday, April 12th, 2012.

The NBFTA Position on Right to Practice: A quick version

In response to members of the ARPFNB publicly posting correspondence to us on this website I think a condensed version of our position is in order:

FACT: There is no exclusion clause for Forest Technicians and Technologists in Bill 22. It was there and the ARPFNB removed it.

FACT: A broad range of Stakeholders were identified and agreed to by both Executives of the NBFTA and ARPFNB in 2009/2010. Letters of support were requested from these Stakeholders, none were received. Some letters of rejection were received.

That is what led to the NBFTA rejecting Bill 22.

At the end of the day the Stakeholders have overwhelmingly rejected Right to Practice in its current form.

Bill 22: An Act to Incorporate the Association of Registered Professional Foresters of New Brunswick

First reading of Bill 22: An Act to Incorporate the Association of Registered Professional Foresters of New Brunswick, was presented in the New Brunswick Provincial Legislature today, March 30th 2012, by PC Yvon Bonenfant MLA, Madawaska-les-Lacs.

Click the image above to download a copy of the Act as it was presented.

It is the opinion of the NBFTA that this legislation, if enacted, will prevent Forest Technicians from practicing forestry within New Brunswick. We have asked many people and organizations, including the Association of Registered Professional Foresters, to offer us an alternative interpretation of the Act which explicitly states:

RIGHT TO PRACTISE

25 No person shall practise professional forestry in New Brunswick, either privately or employed by another, unless registered to practise under the provisions of this Act and the by-laws.

To date no one has been able to offer us an alternative explanation.