In the spring of 2001 the BC Liberal Party took power after winning 58% of the popular vote and 97% of the seats in the BC Legislature. The Liberals campaigned on a platform that promised "a new era of environmental stewardship based on sound science, cleaner air, cleaner water and sustainable practices." However, instead of following through on its election promises, the government has gutted environmental protection and enforcement legislation and reduced staffing to levels that make it nearly impossible to safeguard the environment and enforce the few remaining laws. This paper takes a close look at the on-the-ground effects of the BC government's environment policies.

Help save BC Parks and Wildlife

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.21- No.04, Summer 2002

Campers searching for firewood have aready destroyed this Forest Service picnic table. Expect much more of the same as a result of Liberal cost-cutting in the parks system.

Interfor has already slashed out and marked their proposed logging road location in Manning Park

Where the Ax Falls on...

BC's Parks

  • Closures of campgrounds in every region of the province announced; increased fees for parks, coupled with a decrease in services including interpretation & maintenance; elimination of access passes to parks for disabled persons;
  • Leaked government plans show big push to privatize provincial parks.

    • BC's Wildlife

  • Lifted the moratorium on grizzly bear hunting despite overwhelming public opposition to the grizzly bear hunt and little benefit to province's economy.
  • Government's role in protecting habitat, wildlife, endangered species, air and water quality gutted or handed over to for-profit private sector. 13 government endangered species biologists laid off. 85 habitat protection employees laid off by 2005, including 54 in 2002. To replace these monitoring functions, government has asked logging companies, not government biologists, to be in charge of endangered species programs on public forestlands.

    • BC's Salmon

  • Lifted moratorium on ocean-based salmon fish-farms, even though studies show that the farms pose significant risks to BC wild salmon stocks through increased incidence of disease and parasites.

    • BC's Water

  • Placed water rights under jurisdiction of Land and Water BC (LWBC), formerly BC Assets and Land Corporation; LWBC is mandated to increase its revenue through sales and leases of BC's public assets (which now includes water) by 75% this year.
  • Large cuts have been made to drinking water quality and groundwater protection at their Victoria headquarters. The groundwater protection section lost six out of nine positions hobbling their already limited ability to protect the public's sources of drinking water around the province.

    • BC Public's Right to Know and To Say NO!

  • Elimination of public input and third-party scientific expertise into forestry planning. The proposed "Results Based Forest Code" will not even require the timber companies to show the public or government where they plan to roadbuild or clearcut on public lands. The ability to view these plans and make input regarding them prior to any logging has been a public right for over 30 years.
  • Government's role in monitoring use of hazardous materials, waste disposal, industrial developments and special use permitting gutted or handed over to private sector. All government staff overseeing contaminated sites are proposed to be gone by 2005. The government is considering using private consultants to deal with contaminated sites, perhaps having the developers themselves pick up the costs - a clear conflict of interest.


    • Who pays the B.C. Liberal Party bills?


    Click on image for detail

    For the first time in 20 years, government is considering industrial logging and mining in parks. An International Forest Products' (see list of Liberals top donors) logging road through Manning Park is under consideration. The road would make access for planned logging in endangered spotted owl habitat in 18 and 20 Mile Valleys, just beyond Hope. Near Lillooet, Ainsworth Lumber Co. is pushing the Liberals to allow them to log in areas designated for park protection, such as the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park.