B.C. Budget Fails to Deliver on Parks

February 2011

The B.C. budget fails to deliver a single new cent for parks and protected areas, even though 2011 is the 100th anniversary of the B.C. parks system. Sierra Club BC was in the February 15 budget lock-up and issued this press release.

The budget chops $660,000 from parks and protected areas, following last year’s cut of $655,000, and a whopping $2.5 million cut in 2009.

“B.C. parks have endured years of devastating cuts and this budget contains absolutely zilch to remedy that,” said Sierra BC Executive Director George Heyman.

“The B.C. parks budget is only slightly larger now than the budget for the government’s public affairs bureau. There appears to be money to spin the 100th anniversary of B.C. parks, but not to protect or improve them,” said Heyman.

The February 14 Speech from the Throne mentioned renewed interpretative programs in parks, yet the budget contains no dedicated funding for enhanced interpretative programs even to fill the gap from programs cut during the past decade.

The budget also cuts conservation officer services by $408,000, even though B.C. has only one regular full-time park ranger for every 1.3 million hectares of parks and protected areas.

Read the Times Colonist column by Jack Knox.

Sierra Club BC is calling on the next Liberal leader to make a clear commitment to fund parks and protected areas, protect at-risk species, and take meaningful action to reduce B.C.’s carbon emissions.

“The clock is ticking for B.C.’s species, parks and the environment as the government waits for the next premier to be chosen and does nothing,” said Heyman.