The case for public hearings before prime Jordan River waterfront and forest land is developed has always been strong. After the auditor general's report on the botched way the land was released from tree farm licence provisions, the need for public hearings is overwhelming.

The furious response of Forests Minister Pat Bell to a report on private forest lands was auditor general John Doyle's welcome-home greeting.

VICTORIA - The B.C. government made a major, controversial land-use decision on Vancouver Island without adequate consultation or proper regard for the public interest, Auditor-General John Doyle said in a scathing report Wednesday.

B.C.'s conflict-of-interest commissioner is about to take a close opinion of conflict-of-interest commissioner Paul Fraser on allegations Coleman was in conflict with his official responsibilities since his brother Stan is employed by Western Forest Products.

A judicial review is needed in the wake of the auditor general's report that blasts the way government dealt with private land removals from Vancouver Island tree farm licences, says Calvin Sandborn, legal director of the University of Victoria's environmental law clinic.

VICTORIA -- Armed with just a wafer-thin sheaf of briefing notes, then-forests minister Rich Coleman signed an order last year effectively improving Western Forest Products' bottom line by about $150-million.

Critics called for Rich Coleman to be removed from cabinet after a damning report by B.C.'s auditor general yesterday slammed the former forests minister for a decision to remove thousands of hectares of land on Vancouver Island from tree farm licences, or TFLs.

Shoot the messenger, change the subject. That was the shabby strategy chosen by the Gordon Campbell government yesterday after gutsy Auditor-General John Doyle slammed them for a $150-million sweetheart deal with a B.C. forest company.

JORDAN RIVER — Sealed inside the cab of his massive hydraulic driller, Ron Vanderkhove was intent yesterday on making a deep, narrow puncture in solid rock.

VICTORIA - British Columbia's auditor general says the Liberal government failed the public by allowing vast tracts of private land to be removed from three publicly managed tree-farm licence areas - a report the government called offensive.

The B.C. government was too quick to allow private land to be removed from tree farm licences, says the province's auditor general.

The Douglas fir forests of southern Vancouver Island are being logged at a faster rate than they were as recently as five years ago, according to a report on private-land logging by resource researcher Ben Parfitt.

The Highways Ministry’s provincial approving officer has offered to attend a mediated public meeting to hear from people opposed to Western Forest Products subdivision plans on the southwest corner of Vancouver Island. But, so far, that has failed to appease groups calling for a full public hearing into the plan for 319 acreages on former tree farm licence land around Jordan River, Otter Point and Shirley.

A RALLY DEMANDING A PUBLIC HEARING INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANDS IN THE JORDAN RIVER AREA WAS HELD THIS AFTERNOON OUTSIDE THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION OFFICES IN DOWNTOWN VICTORIA.

Clearing and blasting near Jordan River is creating shockwaves among opponents of Western Forest Products plans to create 319 lots on sensitive stretches of land around Jordan River, Otter Point and Shirley.

“Wood is good.” That was the catch phrase emblazoned across the T-shirt of Okanagan College’s Casey King, and it’s also what most succinctly explained what the new Minister of Forests said to a room full of construction students, Tuesday.

he British Columbia government has launched a campaign to convince the public that its forest industry is an asset when it comes to fighting climate change.

VICTORIA -- Premier Gordon Campbell set the groundwork Monday for next year's provincial election, unveiling changes to his cabinet to address the major issues his government is likely to face in the coming campaign. In a shuffle he termed "a mild review and renewal," Campbell replaced his embattled forest minster, altered his government's approach to housing and mental health issues and attempted to retain a reputation of financial prudence and stability -- all while keeping the same general geographic cabinet makeup

B.C. environmental groups, long calling for Rich Coleman's political head, said yesterday they were "very happy" he'd been shuffled out of the forestry portfolio. "We've been running a campaign asking for his resignation for the last eight months," said Maurita Prato, forest campaigner with the Dogwood Initiative, a non-profit environmental agency.

Cabinet shuffles have become less significant as power has shifted to the office of the premier or prime minister. Still, yesterday's pre-election shuffle by Premier Gordon Campbell brought some positive changes. Most critically, Rich Coleman was moved out of forests, where has been the latest Liberal minister to struggle ineffectually with the challenges faced by the industry.