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Day of Action Launched to Protest Privatization of BC’s Parks
A protest against privatization and industrial development in provincial parks will be launched tomorrow (August 19th) by 11 conservation organizations. The protests will occur at 11 provincial parks in the Lower Mainland, on Vancouver Island and in the Interior of British Columbia.
AWARE will be at Brandywine Falls Provincial Park all day to discuss the immediate concerns that BC's Parks face, as well as gathering signatures for a petition to save BC's parks from privatization and industrial development.
PLEASE join us in protecting our national treasures, sign the petition, learn more about the issues and what you as an individual can do to protect our parks, or just come for a great hike to a fantastic waterfall.
Protect BC's Parks
There are over 800 parks, protected areas and ecological reserves in British Columbia covering nearly 13% of the province's landbase - almost 12 million hectares. Most of the protected areas are dominated by rock and ice landscapes, ancient rainforest do not have as much protection. Only 6% of BC's ancient temperate rainforest is in the protected areas reserves, while today BC accounts for about one-fourth of the world's remaining ancient rainforest. B.C has the greatest diversity of all the states, provinces and territories in North America, yet more than 50% of BC 73 eco-regions has less than on half of 1% of their areas protected.
Over 20 million people visit BC’s parks annually. In 1999, the last year the BC government publicly tracked the economic benefits of provincial parks, almost $500 million was generated by our provincial protected areas system. This amount is over six times the operating budget of BC Parks, the provincial agency responsible for parks and protected areas.
BC parks generate $10 for every $1 the government invests in our protected area system. According to a household survey conducted by the BC government in 2002, over 80% of those polled said parks are important because they protect natural environments and wildlife. Just over 50% of BC residents visit provincial parks on a yearly basis and over 90% have visited a park at some time.
While BC's parks system has doubled in number and area, the budget for BC Parks has remained relatively constant since 1993. There has actually been a 30% decrease in the parks' budget over the past four years. Although the size of the protected areas systems was considerably smaller ten years ago than it is today, the 2005-06 operating budget for BC Parks was just $28 million, 19% lower than in 1996. Additionally, parks today receive under
$2.63 per hectare in operating funds compared to $4.12 per hectare in 1996, even though currently, each hectare contribute $45 each year to our Gross Domestic Product.
Despite the overwhelming public support of the BC Parks, they face a multitude of critical issues, including commercial logging within park boundaries, a weakened Parks Act, and changing park boundaries to allow for industrial development. Government-funded park interpretive programs and the highly successful Park Extension Program, which coordinated park volunteers, have been disbanded and there have been massive lay-offs of park rangers, biologists and field staff. Today, BC and Mississippi are the only jurisdictions in Canada and the United States with no government-funded park interpretation programs. Campgrounds have closed, garbage pickup discontinued, water taps and pit toilets shut down and parking meters introduced in 41 popular parks.
Park Lodge Strategy
In the fall of 2003 the provincial government introduced the Parks and Protected Areas Statutes Amendment Act. The Minister of the Environment, Barry Penner, launched the Park Lodge Strategy by announcing that he would be issuing requests for proposals for the development of roofed accommodations in 12 parks. An immediate concern is that parks be maintained in perpetuity and that they not be sold, commercialized or privatized. Lodges should be restricted to gateway communities, outside park boundaries, and they should not be allowed in wilderness areas.
The Strategy is controversial because it allows private-for-profit development within park boundaries, has proceeded without public consultation, encourages expansion of private facilities, permits helicopter and float plane traffic and allows foreign multinationals to develop in BC Parks. Freedom of information documents show that the BC Park Lodge Strategy also includes provisions for "major resorts" within park boundaries. According to the government documents resorts of this scale typically "include pools, tennis courts, ski hills and/or golf courses." The documents also refer to "high end" facilities with up to 100 beds and staff housing.
User Pay Schemes
In 2003 the provincial government introduced parking meters for the first time in provincial parks. Originally, 27 popular parks in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island had meters installed. In 2004 the total meters in parks expanded to 41 by the government, with another 14 parks in the Okanagan. Immediately, visits fell by 20% in the first year of operation, resulting in over a million fewer visits to 14 Lower Mainland parks with parking meters. In addition, government documents show the meters missed revenue targets by 80%.
Staff Cuts
In 2001 the provincial government cut the BC Parks budget and staff by almost 30%. In 2000 there were 384 full time employees working for BC Parks, today there are just 177. 319 of 489 Ministry of Forests recreation trails will no longer be maintained. Although the provincial government restored funding for up to 25 seasonal park rangers in 2005, even with that increase the number of park rangers is below 2001 levels. There will be a 34% cut to BC Parks staffing (63 jobs) over the next three years.
This will eventually result in about one field staff person for every 7 to 8 parks.
Logging/Mining
Logging in parks has been implemented by Barry Penner, Minister of Environment, to stop wildfires and the spread of the mountain pine beetle, however intense reforestation and fire suppression have resulted in over-crowded stands of trees that compete for scarce nutrients, water and light which weakens the fir defences. The present outbreak is caused by warmer winters, misguided forest harvesting practices and fire mismanagement. The solution is allowing natural systems to prevail, prescribed burning, and tree thinning, piling and burning on site.
If you don't like these changes to BC's parks, please contact BC’s Premier, your local representative, and call, post, or email them with your concerns for BC's Parks.
Premier Gordon Campbell
Legislative Buildings
Victoria, BC, V8V 1X4
Email: premier@gov.bc.ca
Phone:(250) 387-1187
Fax: (250) 387-0087
Honourable Barry Penner
Minister of the Environment
PO Box 9047, Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC, V8W 9E2
Email: env.minister@gov.bc.ca
Phone:(250) 387-1715
Fax: (250) 387-1356
Honourable Bill Barisoff,
Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection Room 151 Parliament Buildings PO Box 9041 STN PROV GOVT Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
Phone: 250 356-6611
Fax: 250 356-8294
bill.barisoff.mla@leg.bc.ca
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Sources:
BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Annual Report, 1996.
BC Ministry of Environment, "Survey on the Importance of Nature to
Canadians: A Federal-Provincial-Territorial Initiative" January 8, 2003 BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, "The Economic Benefits of British Columbia’s Provincial Parks" Special Report, September 2001 BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, "Planning Future Direction for BC Parks: BC Residents’ Views" Special Report, April 2002 p. 3 BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, "Planning Future Direction for BC Parks: BC Residents’ Views" Special Report, April 2002 p. 2 Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - BC; [http://www.cpawsbc.org/contact/index.php]
Hume, Marc, "Protest growing over plan for lodges in parks" Globe and Mail, August 18, 2006 Kines, Lindsay, "New conservation and park staff ‘not enough.’" Vancouver Sun, B1 February 11, 2005 Western Canadian Wilderness Committee; [http://www.wildernesscommittee.org/campaigns/policy/parks]
West Coast Environmental Law. Newsletter. "Draconian new law gives BC Ministers virtual license for backroom deals." Vol. 29:03, February 15, 2004
Compiled by: Sarah Valentine, Administrative Coordinator of AWARE: Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment
