http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/281/t/2411/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=920

Protect Ontario's woodland caribou: Add your voice

By speaking in favor of caribou conservation, you will broaden the ranks of Ontarians and global citizens who want to see woodland caribou -- and the Boreal Forest that is their home -- protected.

We are urging Premier McGuinty to:

1.  Immediately halt logging and road construction in the remaining large, intact forests that provide caribou habitat
2.  Develop a plan to protect species and other assets in Ontario’s Far North before further industrial activities are permitted.

Please add your company to the group sign-on letter to Premier McGuinty below!

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/281/t/2411/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=920

Dear Premier McGuinty,

We consider environmental stewardship to be an essential part of our values, so we are keenly interested in the health of Ontario’s Boreal Forest and the fate of its woodland caribou. We are writing to congratulate you on your government’s progressive paper procurement policy that sets targets for Forest Stewardship Council and recycled paper use, but also to urge decisive government action to immediately protect the habitat of woodland caribou and to ensure that further development in Ontario’s Far North proceed only once a plan is in place to protect the ecological and cultural values of the region.

Our businesses share one important common interest: ensuring our long-term economic viability and that of the business community at large. However, we are growing increasingly concerned that the degraded state of our environment and the increasing impacts of climate change are beginning to impede that viability. As more of these climate change-induced crises emerge, all of the other benefits we collectively generate —like jobs, tax revenues and community development—will be jeopardized. That’s why protecting the Boreal Forest is so critical.

Ontario’s Boreal Forest represents a rare opportunity to ensure industrial activities occur within a framework that protects species and ecosystems, respects First Nations rights, maintains stored carbon, and benefits the communities that live there. Woodland caribou are an icon of Ontario’s Boreal and serve as a “canary in the coal mine” for the health of the Boreal ecosystem.

We urge you to act quickly and decisively to:
1. Immediately halt logging and road construction in the remaining large intact forests that provide caribou habitat.
2. Develop a plan to protect species and other assets in Ontario’s Far North before further industrial activities are permitted.

Such measures would also help Ontario differentiate itself and remain competitive in the expanding market for ecologically responsible products. By ensuring a truly sustainable wood supply that doesn't endanger species-at-risk, you will be protecting markets for Ontario forest products and building a more sustainable northern economy.

We take our environmental responsibility seriously and want to contribute to solutions that will sustain species and ecosystems. We hope that you will consider the issues we’ve raised and take action at this crucial time when your government is faced with decisions that will determine the fate of woodland caribou.

Sincerely,