The JBACE is seriously concerned about the impact of construction of more than 5,000 km of major forest roads by 2013. Moreover, it emphasized this issue in the opinion it provided to the Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife on the revised general forest management plans (GFMPs) for 2008-2013. When the JBACE submitted this opinion, it also raised the issue of whether forest roads are subject to the assessment and review procedure provided in Section 22 of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement. Since then, as a result of a letter of agreement between the Québec government and the Cree Regional Authority, it has been agreed that a number of the roads will be subject to the procedure. 

Despite the planned environmental assessments, the JBACE is of the opinion that an analysis of individual projects prevents any consideration of the cumulative impacts of such roads on woodland Caribou, which is indispensable in this instance. Moreover, without a review based on a regional, integrated approach, the oversight measures will inevitably be deficient. We are therefore asking you to carry out a regional environmental assessment of forest road impacts in the James Bay territory. This regional assessment should be carried out before the project-by-project review.

Considering the possible scope of the impacts of thousands of kilometres of roads not only on woodland Caribou but also on the human environment, this approach offers many advantages. In addition to providing a perspective on cumulative impacts, it would promote co-operation among all stakeholders.