Environmental advocates are upset that the Manitoba government — which has banned logging in provincial parks — has granted a licence for a logging road through Grass River Provincial Park.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard joined in the criticism Wednesday, saying "it's pure NDP hypocrisy" to pass legislation banning logging and then permit a logging road through a park.

Eric Reder of the Wilderness Committee and Gail Whelan Enns of Manitoba Wildlands say the road, for which a licence was granted Aug.12, will cut through Grass River to give Tolko Industries in The Pas access to timber north of the park.

The critics say the road flies in the face of Manitoba's Forest Amendment Act, which banned logging in 79 of Manitoba’s 80 provincial parks. The act went into effect June 11.

"I sat down with Conservation Minister [Stan] Struthers at an emergency meeting and said: 'This can't really go through,'" said Reder. "'There's no way you can allow a logging road into a park that you just said is protected from logging.'"

"He explained that a 'logging road is not logging activity.' From the Wilderness Committee's point of view, that is absolutely unethical."

Doug Hunt, Woodlands Manager for Tolko, said the company doesn't want timber from the park. But a road through the park will save the company time and money as it logs outside the park.

Woodlands caribou in Manitoba's Grass River Provincial Park. (CBC)
Critics claim the decision to approve the road will also have a negative impact on the migration route of the park’s woodland caribou, which gained protected status under the province’s Endangered Species Act in 2006.

On Wednesday, Struthers emphasized that Tolko would not be logging in the park but the company needs access to timber north of it.

"What we have made very clear is that Tolko will not be clearing, they will not be commercial-logging in the Grass River Provincial Park, he said.

"There's a basket of wood north of that park that Tolko need to be able to continue their operation."

Premier Gary Doer said Wednesday that Tolko and the lumber industry generally are experiencing lower demand for their product as construction activity slows in the United States.