The Northern Ontario Sustainable Communities Partnership (NOSCP) is an inclusive ad hoc group that came together in a proactive initiative in November 2006 in response to the forest industry crisis in northern Ontario. Participants are a range of individuals and organizations, including northern municipalities, non-governmental organizations, academics and Aboriginal organizations. NOSCP sees the current crisis in the industry as an opportunity to re-evaluate the structure of the current forest sector in Ontario and to focus on solutions to achieve long-term sustainability for forest ecosystems and communities in Northern Ontario.
To act as a catalyst for transforming the northern economy in a way that supports people to remain in the North and live a life of dignity, based on:
- Respect for the land;
- Sustainable forest-based ecosystems, societies and economies; and
- The needs and rights of Northern Ontario citizens.
- No form of resource management is excluded.
- NOSCP is a proactive initiative that will focus on solutions to achieve long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems and communities in northern Ontario; it will not operate in a short-term reactionary or crisis mode
- Sustainable community bio-economic development: To diversify the forest economy in Northern Ontario beyond the production of a few traditional commodities so that there is a focus on local value-added production of timber and non-timber products.
- Tenure Reform: Promote tenure reform and the development of sustainable forest polices that are based on local democratic control of land and resources in order to ensure greater benefit to residents, communities and First Nations. The shift to sustainable community-based bio-economies in Northern Ontario will require a new regulatory framework for a much wider range of forest resources.