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ID: Person raises arms over mountain peak sunrise.

September 17 2020

BC’s parks get a boost to support economic recovery

cpawsadmin News #bcpoli, #fundbcparks, bc parks, besthope.ca, bruce passmore, build back better, build bc back better, canadian parks and wilderness society, canadian parks and wilderness society british columbia, carol james, covid recovery, cpaws, cpaws-bc, economic recovery bc, economic stimulus bc, future for all, george heyman, green recovery, john horgan, marine debris, trails bc

For interview please contact:
Skye Vallance
Communications and Development Coordinator
skye@cpawsbc.org
604-685-7445 ext. 22

BC’s parks get a boost to support economic recovery

Economic recovery package announced Sept. 17 includes support for BC Parks trails, campgrounds and facility upgrades

Sept. 17, 2020

Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC), is welcoming the new injection of money for BC’s provincial parks. Today, the Premier announced a $5 million increase to BC’s provincial parks as part of a $1.5 billion investment to help build BC back better.

“BC Parks are the backbone of outdoor recreation in the province, which has seen a spike in interest over the past few years. This five million dollar bump for BC Parks will go a long way to improve trails, campgrounds and backcountry infrastructure,” said Tori Ball, Terrestrial Campaigner for CPAWS-BC. “Funding for parks has far-reaching benefits for nature and wildlife that are in crisis globally, as well as providing opportunities to relax and adventure close to home.”

Data shows that park usage has been steadily rising throughout the spring and summer of 2020. This is on top of annual increases in visitation to BC Parks, which has risen from 21 million in 2014/15 to over 26 million in 2018/19. A recent survey conducted by CPAWS-BC found that 89% of respondents were more or as likely to travel to provincial parks in the next 12 months, compared to last year.

That same study found that 94% of respondents agree or strongly agree that local businesses near BC’s provincial parks benefit from park visitors. “Our research demonstrates that BC Parks provide economic benefits to communities through visitor spending, in addition to providing jobs in conservation and tourism,” said Ball.

“This injection of extra resources will help the provincial park system to adapt to the continued rise in visitors, and mounting environmental challenges,” continued Ball. “Continued increases to the BC Parks budget are integral to a well managed, resilient parks system. Proper funding will ensure that these areas can support people and wildlife, and adequately protect and prepare for the years to come.”

CPAWS-BC is also encouraged to see funding and resources for watershed restoration to support wildlife recovery and jobs for communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

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For interview please contact:
Skye Vallance
Communications and Development Coordinator
skye@cpawsbc.org
604-685-7445 ext. 22

Key facts:

✔ A boost for BC Parks: $5-million to maintain and expand trails, campgrounds and other necessary park infrastructure.

✔ Money for restoration: Nearly $50-million will fund wetland conservation and species conservation, employing 1,000 people, focused on those hit hardest by the pandemic.

✔ Cleaning our coast: Nearly $15-million towards the removal of marine debris and derelict vessels.

✔ Conservation jobs for youth: The $1.8 million Youth Employment program is creating 25 new youth park positions and 18 positions in the conservation officer service.

ID: Person raises arms over mountain peak sunrise.

About CPAWS-BC

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) supports the creation of large, well-managed, connected protected areas where native plants and animals thrive, now and forever; and where people and communities can live off the land and ocean without impacting the ability of future generations to do the same.

ID: Elk River winds through mountain valley with peaks in the distance.

August 21 2020

Conservation groups welcome federal assessment process for Castle coal mine

cpawsadmin News #bcpoli, #cdnpoli, bruce passmore, canadian parks and wilderness society, castle mountain, coal canada, cpaws, cpaws-bc, elk valley, Fording River, grizzly bc, mining bc, Minister Wilkinson, teck, wildsight

For interviews, contact:
Bruce Passmore, Executive Director
bruce@cpawsbc.org
(604) 685-7445 x23

Conservation groups welcome federal assessment process for Castle coal mine

For Immediate Release

August 21, 2020

Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, BC — This week, Canada’s Federal Environment Minister announced that Teck Resources’ proposed Castle coal mine will undergo a federal environmental assessment. This assessment is a necessary step to ensure the safety of local wildlife, communities and downstream watersheds, including in the USA.

“The Castle coal mine’s potential negative impacts on important grizzly bear and other wildlife populations are particularly concerning,” said Bruce Passmore, Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia. “This is an important connectivity zone between BC, Alberta and the US. We applaud the federal government for making the correct decision and ordering an environmental assessment.”

Teck Resources coal mines have been under fire for high levels of heavy metals, in particular selenium, being released into waterways in the Elk Valley. Earlier this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency demanded that the BC government hand over selenium data and explain why the company has been allowed to exceed guidelines for toxic heavy metals. Multiple Indigenous nations in Canada and the USA have also expressed concern.

“Given the complexity of values and the history of pollution in the area, combined with the fact that BC still doesn’t have its own endangered species legislation, it’s critical that this project is looked at carefully,” said Passmore. “A federal assessment will consider the mine’s effects on Indigenous rights, local communities, and threatened species like westslope cutthroat trout and white sturgeon.”

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For interviews, contact:
Bruce Passmore, Executive Director
bruce@cpawsbc.org
(604) 685-7445 x23

Download Media Release PDF

Background information:

Minister’s response: The Castle Project

The Castle Project analysis report from the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry

ID: Elk river winds through mountain valley with peas in the distance. — Elk River. Photo via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Stand Up For Parks snowshoe square image

June 10 2020

Protecting BC’s Provincial Parks

Skye CPAWS-BC Uncategorized #bcpoli, #explorebc, #explorebclater, #fundbcparks, #GreenRecovery, backcountry bc, bc parks, bc parks reopen, campaing bc, campgrounds bc, canadian parks and wilderness society british columbia, cpaws-bc, leave no trace, outdoor recreation bc, stand up for parks, tori ball, trail maintenance

BC Parks deserve a raise!

The COVID-19 public health crisis has shown us just how essential BC’s parks are for our physical and mental well-being. The pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to re-invest in BC’s parks, which have been chronically underfunded since the early 2000’s.

Throughout the month of June, the BC government is collecting feedback on how to set their priorities for next year’s budget. Send your comments by clicking the button below, letting the government know you would like parks to be prioritized with an additional investment of funding.

Our parks and the staff who take care of them are ill-equipped to support an influx of visitors as they gradually reopen. Staff shortages are making it difficult to enforce physical distancing requirements and maintain higher standards of facilities cleaning needed to keep visitors safe.

BC’s parks are in dire need of a funding boost to ensure that they’re able to support.

Speak Up for Parks

Click the button to edit your letter. A personalized letter triples your impact so add a personal note at the start of this letter. When you’re done, click send.

Protecting BC’s provincial parks

As British Columbians, we should be proud of the system of parks that has been created to safeguard some of our province’s most beautiful and unique places. From high alpine meadows to towering ancient forests and sweeping grasslands, BC is the most biologically diverse province and our parks steward some of the most spectacular natural wonders on planet earth. But with wildlife facing extinction and our parks facing humans pressures, we need to expand our parks system and give nature the protection it needs.

The Threat

The Threat
The Solution

BC’s provincial parks system is the largest in Canada – but it is also one of the worst funded.

Snowshoers at Cypress Provincial Park near Vancouver. Photo credit: Tori Ball

What does this funding crisis look like on the ground?

Massive shortage of park rangers: in 2016, there were just 7 full-time park rangers responsible for monitoring BC’s millions of acres of park lands. That means that during peak season, each park ranger was responsible for an area roughly two-thirds the size of Vancouver Island. Seasonal hiring has tried to fill gaps, but there’s still chronic understaffing in BC Parks. That means regulations meant to protect nature are left unenforced.
Doing more with less: with over 20 million visitors per year, BC Parks staff are under enormous pressure. But without adequate funding, they often don’t have enough resources for proper equipment or vehicles that help them monitor our parks.
Broken and missing infrastructure: tent pads, pit toilets, bridges, paths – these things cost money to build and maintain. Proper infrastructure makes for more enjoyable and meaningful park experiences for visitors, while also providing vital protection to sensitive ecosystems.
Threats to nature and wildlife: without enough park rangers, sufficient resources, or safe infrastructure, BC’s parks are becoming “paper parks” – protecting in theory but not in practice. That means severe degradation of irreplaceable ecosystems from the influx of visitors and their litter. For wildlife, it means losing habitat and more dangerous interactions that lead to conflict. Without adequate funding, our parks cannot do the job they are legislated to do: protect and conserve wilderness for generations to come.

Parks don’t protect themselves. We can see a better future for BC’s provincial parks and the wilderness that they protect, but only if we stand up and demand action from our government.

CPAWS-BC volunteers #StandUpForParks – Photo credit: Moe Nadeau, Wedge Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park.

In order to safeguard our province’s wild spaces, BC Parks needs more funding. Without resources to hire park rangers, maintain infrastructure, and enforce park regulations, BC’s provincial parks – and the wilderness within their boundaries – will continue to suffer.

You can add your voice to the many other British Columbians calling on the provincial government to:

Increase base funding for BC Parks to $60 million per year
Continue annual increases to eventually match levels of leading Canadian park agencies, like Alberta Parks and Parks Canada
Increase the number of park rangers

BC Parks is the largest provincial park system in the country, protecting the most diverse landscapes of anywhere in Canada. We have a golden opportunity for wilderness conservation: since these areas are already legally protected, we just need to ensure they have the resources they need to safeguard the wilderness they contain.

Speak Up for Parks