Free parking
Premier Christy Clark has announced free parking in all BC parks. Clark and Environment Minister Terry Lake made the announcement at the launch of BC Parks centennial celebrations.
“The parking metres are coming out and parking will be free, effective immediately, so that British Columbia’s parks are even more welcoming for families,” said Clark. “Our parks not only contribute to a healthy lifestyle and protect our environment, they are important to our economy. More park visitors mean more tourism dollars and more jobs for rural British Columbians and we want to eliminate any barriers to using the parks.”
The province also announced a $500,000 Community Legacy Program to support communities while they celebrate the BC Parks centennial. The funding will be used to improve parks across the province. Community groups can apply for up to $20,000 for projects such as trail enhancements, improvements that support recreational activities or conservation of a park’s ecology or cultural history.
BC has the second-largest park system in Canada, with almost 14 per cent of the province set aside as parkland and protected areas.
New Democratic Party environment critic Rob Fleming said the provincial park system is in an embarrassing condition. “Last year the auditor general gave the BC Liberal government a failing grade for its mismanagement of our parks system,” he said. “Now, instead of taking real action to repair our ailing BC Parks system, Premier Christy Clark is doing nothing but removing the parking fees she imposed as deputy premier.”
The BC Liberals’ budget cut of $10 million to parks funding has excluded many BC families from the use and enjoyment of parks, Fleming noted, with three million fewer visitors annually since 2001, a 16 per cent decline. According to Fleming, part of the problem is that BC Parks has to manage more parks and protected areas with 26 per cent less funding than it had in 2001.
“We’ve added more land to our parks system and at the same time we have cut the number of park rangers devoted to protecting it,” he said. “In 2001 we had 26 full-time park rangers, now there are just 10 working in our parks.”
Extension
PRSC Limited Partnership has given an unnamed company a six-month extension on its offer to purchase property in Townsite.
“We’ve extended the land deal to the fall to allow the company involved more time to complete their planning work,” said Scott Randolph, PRSC manager.
PRSC has an accepted offer on District Lot 4070, 20 acres of land along the shore south of Catalyst Paper Corporation’s Powell River division, and Lot 2 of District Lot 450, 97 acres known as the old golf course lands. Randolph declined to name the company. “I can’t say anything beyond what I’ve already told you,” he said. “The conditions are the same. We can’t discuss any of the details until the ‘subject tos’ are removed and we have the okay of the company involved.”
Wide-spread rumours in the community link the offer to the Aquilini Investment Group and officials have never denied those rumours.
PRSC is a partnership among City of Powell River, Tla’Amin (Sliammon) First Nation and Catalyst Paper Corporation.
