From foes to friends: how the boreal forest brought industry and activists
together

OTTAWA, Dec. 1 /CNW/ - Slings and arrows are the tools industry and their activist opponents frequently use to trade information, however, a collaborative approach adopted by the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and a group of leading environmentalist organizations led to a signed agreement earlier this year that will see them work together to pursue both economic and ecological priorities.

"It wasn't always easy, but the shift from being longstanding adversaries to acknowledging a set of shared goals and intentions has demonstrated that it is possible for two seemingly opposed agendas to find common ground and forge a new and less acrimonious relationship," said Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada and chair of the Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products to the United Nations.

Lazar will tell the story of how these seemingly insurmountable differences were overcome when he speaks at the GrowCanada(R) conference tomorrow morning.

"We believe there is common ground to be found on issues like feeding a growing world, preserving precious wilderness space and improving the environment - and we are eager to learn from Avrim's experience," said Derek Penner, president and general manager of Monsanto Canada Inc., which sponsored Lazar's presentation at the GrowCanada conference.

GrowCanada(R) is a partnership of agriculture's most influential associations that works together to ensure Canada is a world leader in providing new products and solutions for agricultural, nutritional, health, energy and environmental challenges in Canada and around the world. The annual GrowCanada(R) conference celebrates the role of agriculture and all that agriculture does to better the lives of Canadians.

Lazar's presentation will begin at 9:55 a.m. December 2 at the Westin Ottawa, 11 Colonel By Drive.

Media are invited to attend any part of the conference which is being held November 30 - December 2, 2010.

A full listing of conference speakers can be found at www.growcanadaconference.ca

For further information: Nadine Sisk, cell: 613-218-6063, [email protected]