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Provincialoct2013spareadimebcparks

Date post: 12-Mar-2016
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Changes in BC Parks over the past decades
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ff ho knew? British legislature sporting pithy protest signs

f Columbia boasts and circulating petitions.

$ the 3rd largesr park

ffi Eft system in North kwasn'talwaysthisway.Backinlg65,

W {! ,America. The second the government of the day passed theY '* largest in Canada. first park Act, which mandated the

Vith 1000 parks and governmenrto manageB.C.parks forprotected areas, B.C.'s park system future generations.spans more than 13 million hectares,about 32.5 million acres. At the 1992 Earth Summir, Canada

An economic powerho.use, B.C. parks iitilfl ii l:?::":"#1ii:":ilil1generatealmost$400millioninspend- land base as protected areas.ln 1.993,ing by more than 19 million park the NDp government unveiled itsvisitors every year. protected ,{..", St.ategy, committing

More than 4,300 full time equivalent :!:-ltout"tt to double the protected

jobs (FTE) ,.. ...r,.d"b) ;l;.fft; area land base to 12 per cent by 2000'

visitors and government spending. TL^ r

$8.42 in visito^p.rdi;^;;;;;;;;"J lTj t sovernment met this com-

'b'" b-".-'*''* mitment and has continued to addror every oollar the government lnvests. , parks and protected areas - reachingln our parKs system' ih. .r.r.ri level of about 14 per cent

vith impressive facts like these, one of lands designated as parks and pro-

could assume that g.C. P;.kr ; , tected areas'

top priority for government. Forminga ient.al plank"of a straregy ,o ,pri unfortunately, while park land has

economic development "n"i

,ourir- been expanding, successive govern-

in B.Cls regional eco.,omies. ments have failed to provide the neces-

sary resources to manage our parks inOne could assume that, but one would a sustainable way'

be wrong.The facts speak for themselves. ln 1993

Rather than being treated as a valuable British Columbia claimed 6.3 millioneconomic and environmental asset, hectares of park land and employedB.Cis parks have become a favourite 378 FTE parks staffto manage this valu-target of governments looking for able resource. In 2013, B.C. employsquick ways to cut budgets and tout fis- only 190 FTE parks staff to managecal prudence.Afterall,bearsanddeer 13.16 million hectares of parks andand birds don't gather in front ofthe protected areas.

In 2001, the B.C. government em-plor.'ed 27 full-time park rangers.In 2013 onlv 12 remain, along withonly 38 FTE seasonal rangers. Parkranger staffhas been cut by 60 per centsince 2001.

Each park ranger position is nou re-

sponsible for the equivalent of z63,ooohectares of public land.That's like hav-

ing one ranger For the entire YosemiteUS National Park, or roughly half thesize of Prince Edward Island.

B.C. Parks'current operating budget of$31 million is $10 million less thar-r in2001.Since 2009,40 parks vehicles have

been cut, and 45 parks had operatingseasons shortened. Park rangers have

been advised in some cases to relv onpublic transit to patrol parks and thereis not enough money to properh'sup-ply toilet paper in provinciallv oper-ated parks.

A 2010 Auditor General report con-cluded that the provincial government

B.C. Parks:

"is not successfullv meeting" its goal ofconserving the ecological integrity ofB.C. parks and protected areas.

British Columbia now spends less thanany other province on our parks -about $2.29 per hectare of B.C. parksand protected areas, less than onetenth of Alberta, which invests $25.29per hectare.

At the same time, park visits havedropped by 25 per cent since 1.998 -due in large part to the installationof parking meters that drove awayresidents and visitors alike. After onlybringing in one tenth of projectedrevenues, the government finally madethe right choice and pulled the metersin 2011.

In2012. after realizing the critical lackof park rangers, the B.C. governmentbegan pulling forest technicians andscience officers from their regular dut-ies and deputizing them as park ran-gers - often rvith little or no training.

The facr are rvell knorvn. The positiveimpact of investing in our parks system

is clear. It is time the B.C. governmentstopped being penny wise and poundfoolish, and re-invested in our parks.

The first step is to restore funding to2000 levels, as part ofa broader strategyto double investments in B.C. parksand help restore the economic andsocial health of our rural communities.

Bythe Numbersl0OO - The number of parks and protected areas in British Columbia.

13,158,492 - Number of hectares in B.C. Parks system.

2 - B.C. has second largest parksystem in Canada.

3 - B.C. has third largest park system in North America.

5393.9 million - Total spending by B.C. Parks visitors (2008/09).

5440.7 million - Total spending by B.C. Parks visitors and government(2008/0e).

58.42 - Amount of visitor spending generated for every $1.00 investedin B.C.'s parks system.

4,336 - Number of full time equivalent (FTE) jobs created by visitor andB.C. Parks agency spending (2008/09).

S25 miltion - Amount of tax revenue generated by BC Parks visitors andparks agency spending.

S3I million - Operational budget for B.C. Parks Servicein2Ol3/"14.

SIO million - Amount of B.C. Parks funding cut since 2001.

St6.98 million - Amount of revenues generated by B.C. Parks recreationuser fees and permits (2011/121.

6.3 million - Number of hectares of B.C. park lands (1993).

378 - Number of FTE B.C. Parks staff (1993).

l9O - Number of FTE B.C. Parks staff (2013).

27- Number of fulltime Park Rangers in 2001.

12 - Numberof fulltime Park Rangers in 2013.

38 - Number of seasonal Park Ranger FTEs in 2013.

13.t6 million - Number of hectares of B.C. park lands (2013).

2631170 - Number of hectares of B.C. Parks for every park ranger FTE.

60 - Percentage funding cut to park ranger staffsince 2001.

4O - Number of B.C. parks vehicles cancelled since 2009.

45 - Number of B.C. parks having operating seasons shortened since 2009.

52.29 - Amount of government spending per hectare in B.C. Parks system.

525.29 - Amount of government spending per hectare in Alberta Parkssystem.

Sl billion - Amount of B.C. government subsidies to oil and gas industry(2006-20r0).

19.3 million - the number of visits in person days to BC Parks in2011/12.

27 - Percentage drop in B.C. Parks attendance following installation ofparking meters.

25 - Percentage compliance with parking meter regulations.

52 million - Estimated annual revenue from parking meters.

S228,OOO - Actual parking meter revenue ]n 2005/06.

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