A recent decision of the British Columbia Supreme Court has
given an unexpected boost to the status of BC's Forest
Practices Board (Board). In Western Canada Wilderness Committee
v. British Columbia, two environmental advocacy groups
(referred to as WC2), challenged the Minister of Environment's
decision not to issue 'Section 7 Notices' under the
Forest Planning and Practices Regulation (Regulation) in
relation to Coastal Douglas Fir (CDF).
Among other things, section 5(1) of the Forest and Range
Practices Act (FRPA) requires that before the Ministry of
Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) may approve a
forest stewardship plan (FSP) to authorize timber harvesting
activities, the FSP must specify intended results and strategies in
relation to "objectives set by government." In turn,
various objectives set by government are specified in the
Regulation. The government's objective for wildlife under
section 7(1) of the Regulation is "to conserve
