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TORONTO — The Ontario government’s proposal to double logging volumes over the next decade goes too far in serving the forestry industry without doing enough to protect the province’s wildlife, environmentalists said Tuesday as they called for a more balanced plan.

Groups including the David Suzuki Foundation, Ontario Nature and the Wildlands League said they oppose the plan introduced in early December, pushing instead for an approach that would maintain conservation efforts and protect endangered species while still achieving the governments stated goal of bolstering the province’s forestry sector.

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The Progressive Conservatives have proposed increasing logging on Crown-owned lands from 15 million cubic metres to 30 million cubic metres by 2030 in a bid to create more jobs and revitalize the industry.

Public consultations on the proposal were to close Wednesday, and environmentalists voiced concerns about both the plan to increase volumes and regulatory changes they fear could exempt the forestry sector from some key environmental protection legislation.