The Board of School District 10 (Arrow Lakes) has been approached by Stella-Jones, a logging company which has forest tenure rights in the Burton area including the area up the mountain slope from the Burton Elementary School.
Stella-Jones has requested that the Board of Education for School District 10 consider granting road access through the existing Ruby Ridge Road and to further construct a road across school district property in order to access timber that has experienced fir beetle kill and infestation in recent years.
At the April 20th In Camera meeting of the Board, Stella-Jones shared maps of the proposed road construction across SD10 property and also identified the proposed cut blocks up the mountain in areas to the east above the school as well as proposed cut blocks located to the northeast on slopes above the community of Burton.
The Board decided at its April 20, 2021 In Camera meeting to bring this item out of in camera and to bring the issue forward at the May 18th, 2021 Regular Board meeting in order that the public can be advised of this proposal. At that time, the Board also made a motion that public consultation on the logging plan and proposed road access be sought, given the importance of this issue to the public, and relevance to the Burton community.
The Board has not made a decision on the matter of road access across the Burton School property, and, in order to comply with Ministry requirements, will engage in a form of public consultation at a future date to be determined.
