Landscape transformation and industrial development: Environment, economism and "sustainable development" in the pulp and paper industry of eastern Manitoba.

This thesis studies change during the twentieth century at the lower reaches of the Winnipeg River in eastern Manitoba Canada. The pulp and paper industry there is part of a global network of economic exchange. "Sustainable development" is popular in the industry and is promoted as economic development which does not impair the abilities of future generations of people to meet their needs. The first section explores discourse about "environment" and its relationship with value and utilization. Technological innovation and cultural development have helped create a wide gulf between human experience and the natural world. The section on landscape develops the idea that the built environment emerges or is imposed as a consequence of purposeful human activity and natural evolution. Three land use regimes were evaluated in terms of changing landscape organization. On the Sagkeeng First Nation Reserve landscape reorganization from 1941 to 1991 was due to maturation of succession from muskeg and willow to forest. The settlement pattern was closely connected to environmental factors. Clear evidence of the impact of cutting practices on forest organization was not found, due to unavailability of environmental information for the entire Forest Management Licence area. There was substantial alteration of landscape structure in the agricultural lands, particularly where drainage ditches and roads were constructed. This regime reflected the situation where many individuals made land use decisions on small plots of land. The third, contextual, portion of the thesis focused on distinct phases in the development and growth of industrial forestry. Three main threads run through the entire period: wood supply, energy to drive the process, and international competition. In each period those themes were embedded within broader societal events. In the 1920s uncertainty over wood supply led to delays in construction. The company wanted to secure a wood supply in a marginally productive area and to block competing interests. After the Second World War, the widespread attempt to move the economy to consumer-oriented industry and the drive to electrify rural areas played an integral role in the paper industry of eastern Manitoba. In the 1980s and 1990s two important situations are juxtaposed: globalization of industry and finance, and widespread concern for the environment. Renewal of rights to exploit and manage the large timber limits now requires environmental impact studies and public hearings. Waste management, air and water pollution and recycling are regulated. The present economic climate of global competition and freer trade has made older smaller mills non-competitive. Within that climate, a group of investors and the labour unions negotiated a buyout of the operation from the parent corporation (Abitibi-Price). "Sustainable development" has been a cure-all. Its meaning is so nebulous that it invites a definition tailored to any situation. The new paper company, like corporations and government bodies around the world, can use concern for the environment and the ambiguity of the concept not only to survive but to garner funding to modernize and upgrade the facility. Due to the competitive nature of the industry, the end result will likely be the sale, in several years, of the publicly-funded refurbished operation to a large corporation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.