| Commitments |
Key Projects |
| Prohibit logging or mining in provincial parks |
• The government has publicly re-confirmed this legislation and policy.
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| Lift grizzly bear moratorium |
• The Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection lifted the blanket moratorium on July 16, 2001, and replaced it with regional moratoriums where specific conservation concerns were identified.
• An independent Grizzly Bear Scientific Panel (charged with reviewing methods and issues considered significant to grizzly bear conservation in British Columbia) submitted its report in March 2003. The report confirmed that the ministry's management of grizzly bears is effective and that sound population estimates are being used.
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| Ensure decisions on new parks are made in public |
• Approval for parks (such as a new Gulf Islands national park and new provincial park at Wakes Cove on Valdes Island) was granted by open cabinet.
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| Acquire and protect Burns Bog |
• The Province of British Columbia, together with the Government of Canada, the Greater Vancouver Regional District and the Corporation of Delta, purchased Burns Bog for $73 million for approximately 2,023 hectares (5,000 acres). The purchase means that an area five times the size of Stanley Park will be preserved.
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| Implement an improvement plan for threatened airsheds |
• The ministry is developing the science and a framework for working with communities to improve air quality.
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| Oppose Sumas II power project |
• The ministry is supporting the government's actions to represent British Columbia's interests at National Energy Board (NEB) hearings and file an appeal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In March 2004, the NEB denied an application to construct a power-line through Abbotsford.
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| Maintain ban on bulk water exports |
• The government maintains its commitment to the legislation establishing the ban.
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| Introduce comprehensive groundwater legislation to improve the quality of drinking water |
• The government passed amendments to the Drinking Water Protection Act to strengthen accountability for the management and delivery of drinking water, and established an advisory board to assist with development of groundwater regulations.
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| Review the contaminated sites legislation |
• The ministry received and has acted on the report of the Advisory Panel on Contaminated Sites.
• The recommendations of the panel were used to develop a new legislative, regulatory and policy framework for contaminated
sites in the province, culminating in the enactment of the Environmental Management Act (Phase I, 2003/04).
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| Use science-based standards to protect the environment |
• The Environmental Trends in British Columbia 2002 report was released, which summarizes scientific research on a set of environmental indicators.
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| Consider the appointment of a Chief Scientist who will advise government from time to time |
• The ministry has established an internal committee to provide advice on the acquisition and use of science to inform decisions.
• The ministry has established panels of scientific experts to provide advice on specific issues (e.g., the Grizzly Bear Scientific Panel).
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| Enact new or revise legislation to deliver on New Era directions |
• The ministry is working with partners to update provincial regulations protecting urban streams and strengthen the role of science professionals. The assessment should be complete in 2004.
• The government has harmonized its vehicle and diesel regulations with those regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act that meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
• The government has passed the Aquaculture Waste Control Regulation to limit waste accumulation on the ocean floor.
• The ministry is reviewing the Wildlife Act and Park Act in order to update legislation in 2006.
• The government introduced the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation, which made British Columbia the first jurisdiction in North America to limit the use of recycled organic material in drinking-water watersheds.
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• In May 2002, amendments to the Environment Management Act were introduced to streamline the ministry's process for entering into partnership agreements with government and non-government organizations. The amendments contributed to a mutual assistance agreement between the ministry's Conservation Officer Service and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Conservation and Protection service, and the Intergovernmental Mutual Aid Agreement for Problem Wildlife Incidents signed between the ministry and Parks Canada in July 2002.
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| Promote shared stewardship for the delivery of recreational services |
• The Recreation Stewardship Panel has delivered its recommendations for a new model to support fish, wildlife and park recreation. Implementation of the panel's recommendations began in spring 2003 and will be completed by 2005/06.
• Preparation to transfer provincial freshwater fish hatcheries to the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, a non-profit society, was completed in March 2003.
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| Develop a Biodiversity Strategy |
• The ministry has made significant progress during the last two years in developing its strategy to protect ecological diversity and manage and conserve species and habitats. Some important advances include the incorporation of identified wildlife sections into the Forest and Range Practices Act and amendments to the Wildlife Act in the spring of 2004, which enhance the government's ability to designate and protect species at risk in British Columbia.
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| Develop a Living Rivers Strategy |
• The government has set up a $2-million trust fund to assist in protecting and restoring British Columbia's rivers. |
| Deliver a results-based Forest Practices Code |
• The ministry has worked with the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management on the Forest and Range Practices Act and regulations. The ministry will continue to work with its private- and public-sector partners to develop environmental standards and best practices.
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| Create a trust for private land donations |
• The ministry is working with the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management on developing an approach for establishing this trust.
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| Encourage a strong private-sector economy that maintains high environmental standards |
• The ministry is exploring ways to expand investment in species protection and recovery by 2006/07.
• A new AOX Regulation was enacted in July 2002 to appropriately limit discharges of adsorbable organic halides (AOX). A new comprehensive pulp mill standard will be part of revisions to the Environmental Management Act (Phase III, 2005/06).
• The ministry's review of waste management legislation is expected to result in additional changes to the Environmental Management Act (Phase II, 2004/05, Phase III, 2005/06).
• The Integrated Pest Management Act was passed in the fall 2003 legislative session to replace previous legislation. Once fully implemented, the regulations are expected to eliminate the need for authorizing routine pesticide applications and enable a two-week turnaround on pesticide application certification, thus lowering costs for government and small business.
• New guidelines were introduced for coal-fired power boiler emissions, setting target limits that are comparable to those in neighbouring jurisdictions and are consistent with the province's energy policy.
• The ministry completed a review of the product stewardship program to extend industry-led product stewardship (e.g., used oil recycling).
• The ministry is exploring options to encourage First Nations partnerships to realize the economic benefits of tourism related to park, fish and wildlife recreation (e.g., the new collaborative management agreement with the Heiltsuk First Nation and the Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy Area on the Central Coast).
• The ministry will support the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games by identifying opportunities for appropriate economic development in recreational areas (e.g., enhanced parks) and participating in the resolution of land use issues.
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