Raj Chouhan

BC NDP

3/12/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

Bill 3, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025, has been read a third time and has passed.

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Raj Chouhan

BC NDP

3/12/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

Members, the question is third reading of Bill 3, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025.

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Hon. Mike Farnworth

BC NDP

3/12/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

I call third reading, Bill 3, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act.

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Lorne Doerkson

Conservative Party of British Columbia

2/26/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

The committee on Bill 3 reports the bill complete with amendment.

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Trevor Halford

Conservative Party of British Columbia

2/26/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

From the minister there, can the minister confirm, then, that there was no public consultation done referencing Bill 3?

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Lorne Doerkson

Conservative Party of British Columbia

2/26/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

Good afternoon, Members. We will call the committee back to order. We’re going to contemplate Bill 3, the Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act of 2025.

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Hon. Niki Sharma

BC NDP

2/26/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

I call committee stage of Bill 3.

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Mable Elmore

BC NDP

2/25/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025 (continued)

Members, the question is second reading of Bill 3, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025.

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Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025 (continued)

I thank the members of this House for their comments on Bill 3, the Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act. I want to reflect just for a few minutes on some of the good words, that we heard in this House over the past few days. I was reminded about how important our public service is in meeting the needs of the communities and the local Indigenous communities. It’s such a great way to look forward to a future where Indigenous communities’ voices are heard and respected. It’s also great to hear that the public service is building such strong, trusted relationships with the communities. It’s also important that we talk about British Columbian families, having access to these B.C. parks and meeting the needs of their families for affordable vacations in B.C. parks all over our province. I come from a very remote, rural area and community, and I can assure you that we use a lot of our recreation sites, our B.C. parks, as families, as community members. We go there to picnic, we go there to camp, and we go there to enjoy a meal together. It’s a safe place for many people, and especially women and children, who want to be able to take the time away from their busy lives to be able to reconnect with nature and to reconnect with each other. These are really important values that come through in this Bill 3. I also wanted to just reflect a little bit on something that one of my colleagues shared about the return of certain species coming back into different areas. That’s really important as we talk about the protection within the B.C. Parks system — the protection of the environment and also maybe, possibly, changing the environment to encourage those species to come back. That’s an important part of learning about what’s involved in protection and what’s involved in making sure that we’re meeting the needs. It also means that we have to look at invasive species in our B.C. parks, and that’s also part of the environmental protection that we have to continue on meeting the needs of. One of my colleagues also talked about learning the proper pronunciation of the B.C. parks. It was a family event that they could do together, to learn the Indigenous name of the park, how to pronounce it, practising it together and then talking with that community, or community members, to learn what the proper pronunciation is. She talked about the importance of trying — the importance of trying to pronounce the proper Indigenous name. I also wanted to just reflect for a few minutes on the importance of mental health, of going and visiting the B.C. parks: hiking, camping, getting away from the busyness of our lives and from a lot of the threats and pressures that we feel when we’re at home or at work, having the time to go and really sit in nature and reflect on what’s important for each of us as we do this important work not just here in the House but in each of our communities. I’m sure that all of the MLAs will agree that they have B.C. parks in their ridings and that they’re an important part of what they’re working with in their constituencies to protect, preserve and possibly expand, as we’re doing in this bill today. It was also uplifting to hear about all the memories that have been built by some of the colleagues here in the House. It was uplifting to hear that it wasn’t just about summertime; it was talking about all four seasons — accessing parks during the winter, the spring, the summer, the fall, and all of those activities that they could do during that time. I especially enjoyed hearing about some recipes around campfires. I enjoyed hearing about connecting not just with daughters and sons, but nephews and nieces. I enjoyed also hearing about some of the community organizations that worked closely together to bring forward their community needs, reflected in this Bill 3. As we look back to the bill and look at the purposes of some of the amendments, I just want to highlight again that the proposed additions consist of private land acquisitions and Crown land that is going to add approximately 143 hectares to three parks. One is in Naikoon Park on Haida Gwaii, 104 hectares of land that’s already surrounded by the existing park. The land will provide further protection of wildlife habitat. Also, Wells Gray Park near Clearwater will have 33 hectares of land to protect wetland and forest that is surrounded by the existing park on three sides. And finally, Cinnemousun Narrows, near Sicamous, three hectares of land and three hectares of adjacent lakeshore. As part of the amendments as well, we talked about Kilby Park near Harrison Mills, which will be formally transferred to the province’s heritage branch, which has managed the park and adjacent Kilby Historic Site since 2003. We also wanted to amend certain names of parks to reflect the Indigenous names that better serve the needs of the local Indigenous communities. These communities came forward and put forward the request to our office. This is us listening, working with our Indigenous partners and also consulting with local government and local constituents. Through the proposed amendments to the Protected Areas of British Columbia Act, Enderby Cliffs near Salmon Arm will be renamed to Tplaqín/Enderby Cliffs Park, and Maquinna Marine Park near Tofino will be renamed Nism̓aakqin Park. As I’ve said before, Indigenous people have been stewards of the waters, land and wildlife for millennia. Renaming these parts to traditional Indigenous names recognizes the significant cultural values and supports ongoing reconciliation with First Nations. Expanding B.C. parks and protected area systems enhances protection of important ecological, recreational, cultural and historical values that make these places special. This bill adds lands and waters to three existing parks. It also improves the boundary descriptions and makes administrative changes. The bill contains amendments that will allow and show our continued commitment to improve our B.C. Parks protected area system. These amendments that are contained within Bill 3 will also allow our government to move forward with ongoing reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples by renaming two parks to include their Indigenous place names. I would also just like to take a moment and really talk about the ongoing history and culture of our province that support reconciliation with Indigenous people. It’s so important when we look at the Indigenous names that have been listed here today in Bill 3. One of the First Nations that came forward to us talked about the need to not have the park named after a chief. That was really important for the community to know, that when we changed the name and they made their recommendation about what that name change should be, it was important that we sat, we had respectful dialogue, and we really listened to what they were bringing forward. I’m really proud to see how hard the public service works to have that in place. I’m also happy to talk about the Naikoon Park expansion, which is in my home riding of Haida Gwaii. The land that will be added are two parcels of land, and the land was purchased by the ministry. As I shared earlier, Naikoon Park is a very special place on Haida Gwaii. Myself and my family have used that park many, many times. I’m so happy to have really strong memories with my family, whether it be going there to picnic or whether it be having my nieces in their graduation dresses taking photos with family or my other niece who actually got married there. It’s such a special place, and it’s such a special time for families to be building those. [Interjection.]

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Hon. Josie Osborne

BC NDP

2/25/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025 (continued)

It is a privilege to rise today and speak to Bill 3 on the protected areas of British Columbia. Once or sometimes twice a year, this House considers legislation that creates, expands and amends protected areas. Increasingly, the names of protected areas are being amended or changed to better reflect that these places have been significant and valued since time immemorial, not just since lines were drawn on a map. Though Bill 3 contemplates the expansion of three parks and the renaming of two, my comments today are focused on one park in particular, a park in my riding of Mid Island–Pacific Rim, a park that will soon be formerly known as Maquinna Marine provincial park as it transforms to be known as Nism̓aakqin, meaning “our land that we care for” in the nuučaan̓uɫ language. I want to quickly attempt to paint a picture in words of this place, and I will do that by describing my first visit in February 1999. I was just three months into my job as a fisheries biologist working for the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations when I had the opportunity to travel up to Hesquiaht Harbour to check for herring spawn. I stepped off the dock into a Zodiac. I was wearing a Mustang floater suit. I was ready for the misty, grey, cool weather out in Clayoquot Sound. We sped off for a 90-minute journey on our way up to Hesquiaht Harbour, but we stopped in Hot Springs Cove. We arrived at a small dock and peeled off these floater suits. We walked 1.7 kilometres down a very slick boardwalk to arrive at literally a crack in the rock where steam was rising. These are geothermal springs that are not built up in the way that we see in some hot springs with concrete or berms. These are totally natural, and the only way you know that they’re there, as you’re driving in on a boat, is you see that steam rising. Sitting in these hot springs at the right tide height means you have the experience of having hot water rush over your shoulders at the same time that icy cold seawater is coming up at your feet as the tide rises. It is an absolutely magical experience, and it’s easy to understand why this place has been so important to the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ people, to the Nuu-chah-nulth people, for thousands and thousands of years. Even in the late ’90s, when I had my first visit, thousands of people were already visiting the hot springs every single year. In my job working with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, I had the opportunity to attend a lot of community meetings, leadership meetings and meetings with different ministries and departments of the federal and provincial governments, including B.C. Parks. I heard time and time again the tension as Elders and leaders would speak about the fact that almost the entire fringe of Clayoquot Sound was encompassed in provincial parks and protected areas that were largely established in the 1950s without their involvement, without consideration of their values and, in the case of Maquinna Marine provincial park, even without permission of the name Maquinna, the name of a highly respected Hereditary Chief. By 2017, over 20,000 people a year were visiting the springs. And 2017 is also the year that the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ First Nation entered into a ten-year agreement with B.C. Parks around park operations. This was taking on the management of the park, collecting park visitor data, collecting the park use fee and caring for the park. This agreement really signified a change in the relationship between ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ and B.C. Parks. It opened up an opportunity for them to learn about each other, and, most importantly, for B.C. Parks to begin to increase its awareness around the traditional values of the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ First Nation and how they had cared for and stewarded this place for so long. It gave them the opportunity to explore chances for economic development and co-management. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, upwards of 30,000 people a year were visiting the park. It all suddenly stopped as the provincial park system was closed to the public while we all grappled with how to stay safe by staying close to home and discouraging travel. As difficult as this was, there was a silver lining, in that the Nuu-chah-nulth people were able to visit this sacred space without hordes of visitors and able to reconnect with a place that is healing in more ways than just physical ones, a place that has held enormous significance for the Nuu-chah-nulth people since time immemorial. These springs are called Mux̣šiƛa, meaning “steaming from rock.” Even more opportunity arose from the $1.1 million StrongerBC investment to replace the aging boardwalk, a project that saw two crews of three carpenters each from ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ working from week to week through the first six months of 2021, in snow and in rain and occasionally in sun, but always with mud, to replace 50 percent of the boards, to build new stairs, to build new foundations — hard, heavy work. The park didn’t reopen to the public until 2022 because this pause and visitation also gave time to the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ First Nation and B.C. Parks to undertake deeper discussions about how to incorporate the traditional values, principles and teachings of the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ people to create a more sustainable experience for visitors that would not lead to overcrowding, that would preserve times for Nuu-chah-nulth people to visit the springs on their own terms and would enable employment and economic development opportunities to support the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ people. Today the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ First Nation and B.C. Parks are developing a visitor use management strategy. They’re engaging neighbouring nations, ecotourism operators in Tofino and the public to set out a vision and guidance for protecting ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ values and providing incredible experiences for visitors at this really special, magical place. Nism̓aakqin, “our land that we care for,” is a better name for this jewel of a protected area, one that is transforming from a provincial park established with little to no consideration of its meaning to Indigenous peoples to one that teaches visitors about the value of ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ guiding principles of respecting one another, teaching one another, caring for one another and helping one another. This is just part of the story of what’s in a name. I’m proud to be part of a government that is listening, learning, evolving and changing the way that parks like Nism̓aakqin are stewarded and managed. There is more work to do with provincial parks in Hesquiaht, ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ and Tla-o-qui-aht territories in Clayoquot Sound, and I’m confident that B.C. Parks is charting a better course forward. In closing, I want to express my profound gratitude to the Ha’wiiḥ, the hereditary Chiefs of the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ First Nation, for stewarding their Ha-Hoothlee, their chiefly territories, for thousands of years so that we may all benefit today. To B.C. Parks, and particularly to area supervisor Michael Grandbois and his team for their commitment to this new relationship. To the community of Tofino, including Tourism Tofino and the many dedicated eco-tourism operators whose livelihoods depend on the stewardship of the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples, and to the Minister of Environment and Parks for introducing this important legislation.

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Hon. Mike Farnworth

BC NDP

2/25/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025 (continued)

It’s my pleasure today to rise to speak to Bill 3, the Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025. This is a piece of legislation that, as members have spoken to, comes on a fairly regular basis to make amendments to park boundaries in British Columbia, either by expanding them or perhaps, in some cases, some pieces are being removed for particular purposes. But it’s done here in this House. When you read this particular piece of legislation, it is really interesting in the kinds of parks that are being approached. One of these parks is something that I find…. Often the name tells you a lot about the park. It tells you, maybe, where it is or the fact that there’s a strong Indigenous connection to it, by the name. But in one of these parks, it speaks to two interesting plants. They are Rhododendron macrophyllum and Rhododendron groenlandicum. Members may wonder what is so special about these two particular species of plants. There is something quite special about them. One, Rhododendron groenlandicum, is actually quite common and is found in much of British Columbia — indeed, much of Canada, in terms of the boreal forests of this country. It was a plant that was particularly important to Indigenous nations in our country, as well as early settlers, because its leaves provided and made a very health-giving tea in terms of providing vitamin C. It is still used to this day. If you were to find yourself without coffee or tea on a camping trip, you could easily use the leaves for that. As I said, it is found throughout much of British Columbia and, indeed, Canada. The other one, Rhododendron macrophyllum, is the most interesting of the two in the fact that it is only found here in British Columbia. It is only found on southern Vancouver Island and in parts of the southwest coast of British Columbia, Manning Park being one of those, but also in one of the parks mentioned in this particular bill, the Skagit River Rhododendron Ecological Reserve. It is an example of the kind of diversity of the parks that we have in this province. We’re not just looking after majestic landscapes. We’re not just looking after critical wildlife populations or the ability for people to take advantage of our natural beauty in this province to go hiking and camping but also ensuring that our native flora are protected. That’s what’s so important about this particular park, because this is one of the few places where you can find the species of rhododendron known as Rhododendron macrophyllum, which is unique in Canada to being found here in British Columbia. What is also fascinating about this…. I always remember it, because I remember a previous government, back in the early 2000s, that decided to embark on regulation cutting. They cut all kinds of regulations that they said were outdated. The one that I always remember was when the former leader of the B.C. Liberal then United Party…. He’s the one that threw all his colleagues under the bus the day after he held a big fundraiser at the home of the member for Delta South, saying that they were going to fight the election right through to the end, and then the next day, he throws all his colleagues under the bus. He happened to be the minister that introduced this package of, quote, “deregulation.” The one that he championed the most was the one that said you can’t cut down rhododendrons. What was fascinating was that the regulation was in place to protect, funnily enough, the particular species of rhododendron that is found in Skagit River Rhododendron Ecological Reserve. Just an interesting footnote to this park but also to the history of what, sometimes, people think are outdated regulations. They actually do serve a particular purpose. That being said, it’s also my pleasure, when looking at this particular bill, to look at some of the other parks that are impacted or are part and parcel of this. One is the Fraser River Ecological Reserve. Again, when you look at the name, Fraser River Ecological Reserve, it seems pretty straightforward. The fact is that it’s more complex than that, because as we know, the Fraser River, which is the lifeblood of much of the province in terms of the salmon fishery and the salmon habitat in British Columbia extending from the mouth all the way right up into the interior of this province, is the largest watershed in the province of British Columbia. This particular ecological reserve is very much focused on the New Westminster land district, in terms of the survey. That’s very much the mouth and coming up the river to my neck of the woods in Port Coquitlam and beyond. Why that’s important is because we know that’s the area of greatest settlement density in our province, both historically and in modern terms, and the challenge has been so much has been lost. Those riparian areas and the waterfront areas have had to balance that combination of industrial development, residential development and, at the same time, ensuring that habitat is there for our fish species, whether it be the species of salmon that migrate up the Fraser — the sockeye, the chum, the chinook, the pink salmon, for example; the steelhead that go up there, the cutthroat trout that use it, the oolichan runs which our Indigenous nations depended on for so long. All use the Fraser River as that major highway. What’s critical is that we are able to ensure that key areas are protected and preserved so that they don’t become degraded, they don’t become developed, because we have to ensure that that critical habitat is there. That’s, again, what this deals with. I particularly focused on this because one of the things that during my time as MLA and being the MLA for Port Coquitlam was to advocate and has been to advocate for these particular areas. One of the ones that comes to mind is an island just in the middle of the Fraser River, just past the junction of the Pitt River and the Fraser River called Douglas Island. It is an uninhabited island. It is actually the largest undiked island on the Lower Fraser River. So it is subject at highwater to flooding, and there are natural levees on there. It is forested. It has important habitat considerations, not just in terms of the fish habitat around it but also for wildlife such as bear, deer, birds, and whatnot. But there was, at one time, a proposal to build a bridge from Port Coquitlam to this island and develop it for housing, which made absolutely no sense. It was privately held at that time by one of the forest companies, and it made absolutely no sense to do that kind of development on something that is right…. Silt, floodplain…. Just the cost would have been absolutely ridiculous. We just had an earthquake the other day. That is an area that would have been highly impacted by a significant earthquake. Anyway, we entered into negotiations back then with the forest company, and we got…. The island became part of the protected area in the Lower Fraser, and it was done in a win-win situation. The forest company in question was more than willing to ensure that the province got it. They also weren’t thrilled about the idea of potential development on it, because they had something that was of economic value to them that they wanted to see remain in place. That was the ability to boom logs around it because it is fresh water, so you didn’t have to worry about degradation of logs. The province and the forest company came to an agreement. The land, the island, is now part of the protected area on that lower Fraser, the Fraser River ecological reserve, and the forest company gets to continue to use the water surrounding it for log-booming. So it’s a win-win. That’s why this is, to me, one of the things that I…. I look to the changes that are made in this kind of legislation when it comes up. What’s happening? Why are the boundaries being adjusted? Sometimes it could be because when the original survey was done, it wasn’t done to exactly how it’s supposed to be. We know that with the latest technologies that we have we can be far more accurate in plotting where boundaries are supposed to be. Sometimes, as I said at the beginning of my remarks, it may be removing a piece of land, and that may involve my ministry. There’s something we have to do, but as much as possible, we then try and put additional land back into that park area. The parks of our province are very much a public asset, and they serve a variety of purposes. Obviously, there’s the habitat protection, the wildlife protection, the flora and fauna values that are so critically important in this province. We have an immense range of different ecosystems and wildlife habitats in British Columbia, probably more than just about any other province in the country. Parts of it are very much endangered. One only has to think of the Garry oak meadows here on southern Vancouver Island and on the Gulf Islands. One can go to the interior of British Columbia, the Osoyoos area, the most northerly extension of the Sonoran Desert. Again, it’s critical habitat that’s found nowhere else in Canada. It’s represented here in British Columbia, and we have parks in place to ensure that those areas and their unique species are protected. Part and parcel over the number of years, particularly related to UNDRIP, has been to ensure that Indigenous reconciliation is a significant part of parks, ensuring that in many cases they’re involved in the stewardship that takes place in our provincial parks. That’s important in terms of reconciliation today but also into the future. It’s also important to recognize these are provincial parks. Those are different than national parks, which is the purview of the federal government, and I’m sure that they do federal legislation like this from time to time. It’s something that we as British Columbians are incredibly proud of, which is why I find it particularly disconcerting when I see organizations outside of Canada — Google is the one — that refer to them as state parks. I don’t know whether this is some…. I don’t want to go down the conspiracy-hole theory, rabbit-hole theory, that this is just another Trumpian, Elon Musk–ish type of thing. The reality is British Columbians know they are provincial parks. Canadians know that that they’re provincial parks. The world…. When tourists come to British Columbia, they’re looking for directions to our provincial parks. They are not state parks. They never will be state parks. They are our parks, British Columbia parks, and we’re very proud of them. I touched on the tourism aspect, because the one thing our parks are also is significant economic drivers. They are one of the most affordable ways in which people and families in this province can have a family vacation. I remember as a kid we’d be loaded into the back of the family station wagon, the five of us. My parents would drive to a destination somewhere in British Columbia, the Okanagan or up into the Cariboo. We used to love going up to Sheridan Lake. My brother takes his kids and grandkids up there to this day to go fishing, to enjoy the outdoors in British Columbia. Whether it’s in a tent or whether you’re renting a cabin, people just instinctively know that there’s something grounding. There’s something in terms of familial bonding. When the weather’s right, you can have a campfire and you can roast marshmallows and you can tell stories and you can share family time together. Our parks allow that. You don’t have to fly down to Disneyland and spend a huge amount of money with an exorbitant exchange rate. You can get in a car. You can go to amazing parts of our province. Whether on the Island and go to the beach, go to Tofino or drive up the east coast of the Island…. You can go to the Gulf Islands. You can go to parks in the Interior and the Kootenays at different times of the year, whether it’s spring, summer, fall, winter. There are activities for everyone. That’s what our parks do, and that’s why they’re so very important. They’re also important — and again, why adding areas to parks is one of the things that’s often done in this particular piece of legislation — because we are a growing province. The population growth in this province has been incredible, and that places pressure on infrastructure. It places pressure to ensure that we’ve got the parks that we need, that we’re able to do the development that allows parks to be utilized. It’s about building for the future. One of the parks in my particular area — and again, it was one that I was very much involved with when I became an MLA and still am to this day — is the Pinecone Burke Mountain provincial park. For many in the Lower Mainland, Golden Ears Provincial Park, that first May long weekend, is the start of camping season. I remember going to Golden Ears Park as a kid. I know it’s in my colleague’s riding, Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows. It’s a hugely, hugely popular park. There are campgrounds, but often you have to book early because it’s so popular it gets filled up. That’s one of my hopes, that we have got this amazing park right next door on the other side of the Pitt River — the Burke Mountain Golden Ears Park, which is an amazing park that starts on Burke Mountain. It used to be in my riding but is now just on the border. It’s an area I’m very familiar with. I used to go hiking up there, camping up there, when I was in Scouts, when I was much, much younger. In fact, it’s a combination of examples of different kinds of topography: mountain terrain, second-growth forest, primary forest in the Boise Creek area, which is part and parcel of the park. It goes all the way up to connect with Garibaldi up in the Sea to Sky area. So you have this massive protected area. It’s becoming very popular. I remember as a kid, you’d go up there, and there’d be nobody up there. Now you go up on the weekend or even during the week — you can drive your car up to the rod and gun club, which is the entranceway to that park — and there are cars all lined up. People are going mountain biking. They’re going hiking. They’re taking advantage of this incredible natural resource that we have right on our doorstep. That’s what this legislation is about. It’s ensuring that those natural places that we have on our doorstep that provide a place to go out for a walk, get fresh air, see nature outdoors, to be able to just enjoy the natural beauty that is this province…. I will take this opportunity, while talking about our incredible parks in this province…. Our parks are not just for people. Well, they’re for a lot, but very much for young people. I would ask the House to recognize that we have students from James Bay Elementary School, grade 5, up in the gallery. If the House would make them welcome, that would be really great. Just to let them know: we’re talking about a parks bill and why parks are so important, because of the opportunity they place for your parents to take you on a holiday when you’re not in school to enjoy or to go explore with friends. I know that I have other colleagues who are going to speak, so I will say thank you for this opportunity to talk on a bill, which I think is a great bill, and to make some comments on some of the amazing parks, and my experiences with them, in our province. With that, I take my seat.

2714 words

Hon. Mike Farnworth

BC NDP

2/25/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025 (continued)

I call continued second reading on Bill 3.

8 words

Hon. Bowinn Ma

BC NDP

2/24/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

It is my pleasure to rise to speak in favour of Bill 3, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025, brought forward by the Minister of Environment and Parks. It has been such a pleasure to listen to the statements by my colleagues. I’ve learned so much about our provincial parks and about a lot of details that are not necessarily articulated in the press release of a bill as well. Perhaps I should start by explaining what the bill does, particularly for the substantial number of people who are tuning into this debate live from the comfort of their own homes and, of course, for the Hansard record. I also want to acknowledge the important work of Hansard and all of their efforts in making sure that these debates are made available publicly and broadcast live, both on the internet and on cable television. Bill 3, the Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025, does a number of things. First, it renames two parks. It renames the Enderby Cliffs near Salmon Arm to Tplaqín — I hope I’m pronouncing that correctly — which means “cliff” in Interior Salish. So that’s the Enderby Cliffs Park near Salmon Arm. Maquinna Marine Park near Tofino will henceforth be renamed Nism̓aakqin. I’m also looking at the Minister of Environment and Parks over here to ensure that I am getting those new names close to the accurate pronunciation. That means “our land that we care for” in nuučaan̓uɫ. Those are beautiful names. Bill 3 also adds 143 hectares to three parks, the first being Naikoon Park in Haida Gwaii. It adds 104 hectares of land that is already surrounded by the existing park. That land is going to be able to provide further protection of wildlife habitat. The second addition to provincial parks made possible by Bill 3 is 33 hectares of land that will be added to Wells Gray Park, and that is near Clearwater. Those additional 33 hectares will help to protect wetland and forest that are surrounded by the existing park on three sides. I am not familiar with this third park, so I am not familiar with the pronunciation, Cinnemousun Narrows, which is near Sicamous. Thank you to the minister for helping me with my pronunciations. Three hectares of land and three hectares of adjacent lakeshore will be added to that park through Bill 3 as well. I really appreciated the comments from the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture because he actually brought my attention to the additional changes that are made possible by Bill 3. As part of the amendments, Kilby Park, near Harrison Mills, will be formally transferred to the province’s heritage branch, which has managed the park and the adjacent Kilby Historic Site since 2003 anyway. I did not understand the significance of this change until I had heard it thoroughly canvassed by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. The amendments also remove one hectare from Naikoon Park, which is the aforementioned park in Haida Gwaii. That allows for the expansion of a neighbouring cemetery, and it allows for administrative updates to several protected area boundary descriptions as well. Those are the changes that are brought about by Bill 3. Recognizing, though, that provincial parks have a significant history that leads us to this day — to the point where, year over year, or maybe every session, we get a similar type of bill that either adds or subtracts or makes adjustments to provincial parks — it really brought my attention to what the history of provincial parks is. It’s actually quite an interesting history. The very first provincial park was established…. I want to make sure I get this correct. It was actually officially legislated in 1911, but its story really began on July 29, 1910, when a group of people of the B.C. government, which was led by Chief Commissioner of Lands…. At the time, his name was hon. Price Ellison. This group of people went on an expedition and reached the summit of Crown Mountain. The purpose of this expedition was to explore that surrounding region and look at setting aside land to establish the very first provincial park. The view from Crown Mountain actually sealed for Price Ellison that this land would be the ideal location to start that first park. So he submitted his report — he was a minister at the time — on the expedition to the provincial cabinet. On March 1, 1911, Strathcona Park was officially legislated. This first park protected 250,000 hectares of wilderness. It was mountainous terrain, deeply forested valleys, home to a whole variety of wildlife, of flora and fauna. It involved a temperate rainforest. People described it as having rugged hillsides and valley floors from tidewater’s edge to the alpine tundra zone of thousands of feet. Strathcona Provincial Park remains today one of the richest ecosystems in the world and was B.C.’s very first provincial park. That legislation was called, at the time, Strathcona Park Act, and it placed the park under the control and management of the Minister of Lands. The act protected those lands and made it subject to regulations that are set by the by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, which is a fancy way of saying the provincial government cabinet. I was looking up this history on the B.C. Parks website, and it was quite interesting. It wrote that while the original act of 1911 seems clearly intended to protect the park from mining, logging and similar industrial development, both mining claims and timber holdings had been granted prior to the establishment of the park, and existing rights and interests were exempted from the act. In 1918, the act was amended to open the park to the “location, acquisition and occupation of mineral claims under the Mineral Act.” So I guess the establishment of parks can be nuanced. More parks have been added ever since. For example, in 1913, the Mount Robson Park Act established the Mount Robson Provincial Park. By 1930, 13 provincial parks were set aside, and more than 50 additional areas were reserved for what they described as the pleasure and recreation of the public. At the time, the legal responsibility for parks fell to the Attorney General’s ministry, and parks were created by individual statutes that could be assigned to various administrations. So every single provincial park, I suppose, had its own separate statute. Then the Land Service had responsibility for parks like Strathcona and Mount Robson, but some of the other parks had advisory boards that were appointed. This style of management continued, essentially, up to the beginning of the Second World War, in 1939. Throughout this entire period, most of the visits by people to these large wilderness parks were actually by more affluent people in society, because the primary way to get to these parks was by rail and access inside the parks by horses and foot and accommodation provided by private lodges or cabins. So visits to public parks and provincial parks, for quite a few years in the beginning of their establishment, was actually an activity that was dominated by more wealthy and well-to-do people. It was actually the Great Depression that started in 1929 that really forced governments not just in B.C. but all across Canada and all through the world to cope with the increased number of unemployed people. Provincial parks became a way that that government actually created jobs. Forest work camps were established throughout B.C. on diverse road and trail projects. They were established in land set aside as parks, where the demand for roads, trails and visitor facilities was evident. Through this work, the Forest Service actually became the most capable agency at operating these camps for a while. Some of these camps even continued during the war, accommodating alternative service workers, which were politely referred to, I suppose, as conscientious objectors at the time. Now, by the time the Second World War broke out, the Forest Service was firmly identified with provincial parks and, as a result, the concept of a system of provincial parks — rather than these piecemeal designations, where you had one act assigned to each provincial park — had evolved. This history continues, and in 1965, a revised Park Act was passed by the Legislature. It provided a more detailed classification of provincial parks. I believe that the Park Act is basically a more modern-day version of this…. Pardon me. Now the Protected Areas of B.C. Amendment Act is a more modern-day version of that Park Act, which is the bill we’re referring to today, which is amended by Bill 3. The protection work has expanded since. Today B.C. has over 1,000 provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies, ecological reserves. Together, all of these protected areas cover more than 14 million hectares, or about 14.7 percent of the land base. Every year the province continues to acquire land through the B.C. Parks land acquisition program. They are able to use this program to expand and adjust and add to these protected areas, the next iteration of which is being made possible by Bill 3. When we talk about the history of provincial parks, it enables me to reflect on how much effort and how much work and passion have gone into the work of protecting land here in British Columbia. We have heard today from my colleagues what provincial parks mean to them and their families and their communities. We’ve heard personal stories. We’ve heard about the importance from an ecological and environmental perspective. We heard the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture speak extensively to the value of these provincial parks to our tourism and our economy. We welcome millions of visitors to British Columbia every year that are drawn to B.C. to visit B.C. and spend their money here in B.C. because of our beautiful provincial parks. We have heard about the importance of heritage in the context of parks, but none of these protected areas came about by accident. There were champions all along the way. Throughout the years, we’ve had decades of successive governments that have either chosen or chosen not to prioritize provincial parks. I also reflect on the individual members of our community and organizations within our communities whose passion leads them to advocating for increased investments in parks, land additions to parks. They watch closely not only the protection of the areas but the condition of the parks that they love and hold dear. I think about Brent Hillier, who is a constituent of mine North Vancouver–Lonsdale, who regularly contacts me with his concerns about improving public access to parks. He’s regularly monitoring the investments that are being made in parks and wanting to ensure that these investments are contributing to the health of these parks for generations to come. He is contacting me regularly about a lot of his favourite parks: Manning Park, Seymour Park, access to Garibaldi Park. I also think about Steve Jones, another constituent of mine in my riding of North Vancouver–Lonsdale, who is a passionate back-country enthusiast and advocate for access to the back country. He regularly reminds me that it’s not enough for us to welcome people from all over the world to visit our parks here in B.C. We also have to do the work and make the investments to ensure that our park conditions can handle the visitation. Here in British Columbia, we are incredibly blessed to have access to provincial parks, but those benefits that we glean from the existence of these parks are…. We can’t take them for granted. This is work that has to be done intentionally and with deliberate emphasis, year over year, decade after decade. Once we lose these parks…. I don’t mean the areas around the map that can be protected by statute. I mean that I regularly hear from community members that visit these parks about the deteriorating trails as a result of increased access to those trails and the importance of us ensuring that we are doing the work to maintain the condition of those trails and access to them and that we protect these parks against environmental degradation. I mean, when I look at the parks that are impacted by this particular bill…. Oh gosh, I really hope to be able to visit Haida Gwaii one day. I have heard amazing things about the beautiful lands up there and the amazing people who reside there and have been there and stewarded that land, and have title over that land, for thousands of years — generations. Cinnemousun Narrows near Sicamous. I really hope that it continues to be a thriving, beautiful place in British Columbia that I will one day be able to visit. The Wells Gray Park near Clearwater. Now, that is a park that I am familiar with. It is a park that my family has started to make an annual tradition to visit, at least once a year. When we bring my daughter, who is now 15 months old…. She has only been up there once, but we’ve been there. My spouse and I have been up to Wells Gray Park every year for several years prior to her being born. I hope to be able to bring her up there every year when we go to visit her grandmother, who lives in Darfield and runs a hobby farm there. Wells Gray Park is really, truly magnificent, for anybody who hasn’t been there before. I have to say, the member for Kamloops Centre…. His riding boundaries were redrawn, but previously he also represented Kamloops–North Thompson. I can understand why losing that area of his riding might make him a little bit grumpy. I would be grumpy about it as well, because it is really, truly a magnificent part of the province. It is known as Canada’s waterfall park. There are 39 waterfalls that the public can access. I have only visited a few of them — multiple times, but just a few of them. Helmcken Falls is a famous one. Dawson Falls and Spahats Falls. Really incredible scenery. It just reminds you of why so many British Columbians choose to make British Columbia their home. I was looking up some of the facts of Wells Gray Park. There is a wonderful not-for-profit organization called Information Wells Gray. They give excellent examples or reasons to visit Wells Gray Park. They describe Wells Gray Park as “5,000 square kilometres of pure Canadian wilderness.” It has the world’s largest non-motorized lake, which is Murtle Lake. It has white, sandy beaches and high, dramatic peaks. You can also walk through the most extensive and luscious wildflower meadows. You can raft the best combination of wilderness and whitewater rafting in B.C. They guarantee that. I don’t know if the guarantee is…. I’m sure that there are other park enthusiasts who would love to debate with them whether or not this is the best whitewater rafting, but they certainly think so. You can canoe some of the purest and clearest waters in the world on Clearwater and Azure lakes. There are over 200 kilometres of hiking trails, some of which are a few minutes long and some of which can take several days — and, of course, lots of fishing. The addition of 33 hectares to further protect the wetland and forest that is surrounded by Wells Gray Park already makes a lot of sense to me. I have to say that I drive an electric vehicle. Its range is about 200 kilometres in winter. I have only had the privilege of visiting Wells Gray Park in the fall and winter. After hearing the remarks of my colleague the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, it is probably a good thing. She was talking about all the mosquitoes over at Wells Gray Park. I have not had to encounter or fight off mosquitoes because I tend to visit in the fall and the winter. The reason why I bring up my electric vehicle in this case is just a caution to those who are visiting Wells Gray Park. If you drive an electric vehicle with a range that is about the range of mine during the winter, which is about 200 kilometres, it’s not quite enough to get you safely to the waterfalls and back again to charge. So I highly recommend, in those contexts, doing what we do, which is that we pile our family into my daughter’s grandmother’s truck, and then we all head out there.

2759 words

Peter Milobar

BC Liberals

2/24/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

Thank you. I will certainly do that, Madam Chair. I’m still trying to figure out how to tie in wildfires to Bill 3 when it has absolutely nothing to do with wildfires, so I am still processing what the Minister of Forests did for 20 of his 30 minutes around Bill 3. But I was wrapping up my comments on Bill 3 anyways, Madam Chair, so I do appreciate the guidance. I would hope that at least, then, if the government is insisting on filibustering their own bill — they do have 40-plus members — surely they don’t have to have such a short bench of people speaking for half an hour about things that actually aren’t related to the bill either. They could just put up a few more speakers and have them speak for a little less time. At least we’d get a little variety in what will eventually turn into comedy hour here at the Legislature for the last hour and a bit. Thank you for the time.

171 words

Mable Elmore

BC NDP

2/24/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

Member. I would just remind members that at second reading, it’s an opportunity to debate the bill’s general principles and objectives. Being Bill 3, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025, the members should ensure they remain relevant in their debate.

42 words

Peter Milobar

BC Liberals

2/24/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

Wow, a lot to unpack there on a bill that had almost nothing to do with most of what the speech was. I say that because Bill 3 certainly…. [Interjection.]

30 words

Hon. Ravi Parmar

BC NDP

2/24/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

I was doing so well. I represented, prior to the election, not only the communities of Langford and Highlands, which I represent…. I love it. It’s super easy. Langford and the Highlands — that’s my riding. Two incredible communities, home to two provincial parks, I might add, that I’ll touch on. I also represented East Sooke, Sooke, Otter Point, Shirley, Jordan River, all the way out to Port Renfrew. I say that because my predecessor always said: “Name those communities, because if you forget to name those communities, they will know. They’ll be paying attention.” To be able to have the connection with the regional directors at the time, Mike Hicks and then Al Wickheim, to know that our provincial parks and our regional parks, but in particular our provincial parks, were not just being enjoyed by British Columbians…. They were being enjoyed by people from all over the world. I often joke. The Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation…. I had a bit of a different upbringing. I always wanted to camp as a kid, but my parents said: “We came from camping in India, so why would we go out and camp here?” Maybe the Minister of Mining would understand and appreciate that. So I never really got a chance to experience true camping. It wasn’t until high school that I really got a chance to truly enjoy our provincial parks and, again, acknowledge the beauty we have here. Now, as I said, our provincial parks, through this legislation…. Bill 3 acknowledges the work that we’ve done, but it also acknowledges the work that we continue to need to do with expansions and, obviously, the work with name changes. People from Europe, Americans — everyone enjoys our parks. But let’s be very clear. Let’s be crystal-clear. British Columbians love our provincial parks. We welcome people from all over the world to enjoy our provincial parks. These are provincial parks, not provincial state parks. So Google, make that correction. These are provincial parks. To our friends down south in the United States: come on by any time. If you’re heading out to Port Renfrew, to Juan de Fuca provincial park, make sure you stop by and support our local restaurants and local camping grounds, and enjoy our provincial parks as much as you want. In the good times, in the summertime, when things are really nice and dry and even now, when things are a little wet, enjoy those provincial parks. Mr. Speaker, I think you and I will agree those provincial parks are not today, nor will they ever be, for sale. I want to spend some time talking a bit about stewardship of our provincial parks. As Bill 3, and this important work that my colleague has done in bringing forward this legislation and talking about expanding provincial parks, 143 hectares to three existing parks…. Protecting land is only and truly one part of the equation. We must also actively manage and steward it to address growing challenges. As the Minister of Forests and the Minister Responsible for the B.C. Wildfire Service…. Like I said in this House previously, British Columbians know all too well the devastating impacts of wildfires to our communities. MLAs in this House, new MLAs and also those previously that have served as local government officials and just live in communities know the devastating impacts of wildfires. The fact that it’s increasing in severity due to climate change, which requires us to better steward our lands, to have better forest management and also to have better fire mitigation strategies…. As part of this work that we’re doing through Bill 3 and the amendments, we also need to make sure that we are addressing invasive species. I didn’t get an opportunity to be in Vancouver this week, with the House in session, at the Invasive Species Council of B.C., but I got a chance to beam in virtually and record a video. We know that threatening native biodiversity in our parks requires ongoing intervention as well, and it’s so important, as part of our collective work in regards to this, that we’re doing that work, for sure. Also, as I touched on previously, tourism impacts are massive for our communities, especially here on the south Island — I would say the entire Vancouver Island. People come to British Columbia for a whole host of reasons, to be able to celebrate the absolutely beautiful province in every corner of our province. Expanding our provincial parks, as my colleague the minister has done through Bill 3, recognizes that this is an economic strategy, as well, that this is an opportunity to be able to put British Columbia on the forefront. Again, I joke about it. The amount of people that I met when I represented Port Renfrew, as an example, and would just pop into a provincial park once in a while to be able to check out some work that we had done in the provincial parks, to be able to create…. Parking can be a bit of a challenge in our provincial parks, without a doubt. They’re busy, absolutely busy. Washroom facilities, accessibility — those sorts of pieces I’m sure I’ll touch on in the time that I’ve got. To have been able to see, over the course of the last number of years as an MLA, the tourism benefits of our provincial parks is incredible. I think of a small business that was formerly in my community, a little café in Shirley. They benefited from the expansions that we’ve made, the accessibility work that we’ve done to the Juan de Fuca provincial park, as a prime example. Collectively, whether it’s the tourism impacts, invasive species or wildfires, it’s so important that we continue our work to invest in stewardship and ensure that our parks remain healthy, accessible and resilient for many years to come. Because if we don’t, we will take them for granted. Again, it is why it’s so important that this legislation, Bill 3, builds on the work that we’ve done in the past and ensures that we’re preparing for the future as well. I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment as a new minister, and in particular as the new Minister of Forests and the minister responsible for the B.C. Wildfire Service, to touch on the impacts that wildfires have occurred to our provincial parks — in particular, Wells Gray Provincial Park in 2024…. We had to close many campsites at Wells Gray because of lightning strikes. Because of the hard-working men and women of the B.C. Wildfire Service…. The Wildfire Service has just done incredible work; 2023 and 2024 were some of the worst wildfire seasons on record. In fact, 2023 was the worst wildfire season on record in British Columbia; 2024 was the fourth-worst wildfire season on record. Just in those two years, close to $2.5 billion in damage occurred that has cost British Columbians. How can you put a price on our provincial parks? It’s why it is so important that as we build off of these challenging years, the 2023 and 2024 wildfire seasons — again, 2023 being the worst wildfire season on record — we expand and properly manage our parks as well. I’m so proud to be able to work, as the minister responsible for the B.C. Wildfire Service, with my colleague the Minister of Environment and Parks on this important work, to ensure that we institute natural firebreaks so we can preserve old-growth forests, wetlands and riparian zones and ensure that we’re doing all of this good work. Bill 3 provides us with an opportunity, as we’re expanding our parks, to be able to look at this important work. I hope other members will have an opportunity to be able to speak to what provincial parks mean to them as well. As we do that work, we also need to ensure that we acknowledge and support traditional Indigenous land management practices, such as controlled burns, which help reduce wildfire risk. We have wildfire risk reduction projects happening everywhere across this province. We have added dollars to the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. as a prime example of that. We need to encourage sustainable forestry practice as part of that. That’s the work I’m leading in the Ministry of Forests, but it’s important that we begin this work in our provincial parks. I remember meeting in Vanderhoof just a few weeks ago with the mayor and council, and them pulling out a map and sharing with me the impacts of wildfires that have happened in their provincial parks and how it has led to growth. It is a commitment that I made with them — that we collectively work together to be able to address those challenges. I look forward to the opportunity, with Bill 3 and the work that the ministry is doing, to be able to address those challenges as well. I want to touch on the connection between parks and well-being. I don’t know about you, as someone who lives fairly close to a provincial park, just down the road from Gowlland Tod Provincial Park…. I’ve got two provincial parks in my constituency of Langford-Highlands, Gowlland Tod Provincial Park and Goldstream Provincial Park. I welcome my colleagues on this side of the House and the colleagues on the other side, if you happen to be sticking around for the weekend, to check them out. With Bill 3 and the amendments that we’re making to this, it provides us an opportunity to be able to acknowledge the well-being aspect of our provincial parks as well. Studies have shown that access to nature improves physical and mental health and well-being. It reduces stress and promotes outdoor activity as well. I think there was no greater time that our provincial parks were used than during the pandemic, when we couldn’t meet in the chamber. We couldn’t meet in many different places. We had to protect one another, and provincial parks served as an opportunity for us to be able to gather and spread out and just enjoy nature. I know that so many of my constituents in Langford-Highlands fully utilized Goldstream Provincial Park and certainly used Gowlland Tod Provincial Park as well. I think it was a greater acknowledgement of how important it is for us to acknowledge when we’re doing this work — when we’re bringing forward amendments like the amendments that my colleague the Minister of Environment and Parks has brought forward in this legislation — that, again, provincial parks are not necessarily just for conservation. They’re not just for protection, but they’re for our enjoyment as well. Parks provide so many economic benefits, like tourism — again, bringing in millions and millions of dollars through sustainable tourism and recreation industries. I’m just getting a quick opportunity in my time as Minister of Forests to be able to see that through our Rec Site and Trails programs. It’s so important that we build on this work through Bill 3 and continue investing in protected areas that enhance our local economy, support Indigenous-led conservation efforts and, again, continue to strengthen our community resilience. I touched on, previously, wildfires. There’s so much work that we can do in partnership with wildfire risk reduction projects in provincial parks through our Crown Land wildfire risk reduction fund, which we’re already doing in tandem between the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Environment and Parks. It’s so important. You have one of the parks that we’re expanding, Wells Gray, that has been impacted by wildfires in previous years. One of the other things I wish to speak on in the time that I have is an acknowledgement, I think, in this legislation — a key aspect of it. There are two pieces I want to talk about. Firstly is the expansion. This is a massive expansion to our provincial parks. I’m so proud, on this side of the House, of the work that we’ve done on this. I think of my predecessor Moe Sihota, when he served as the Minister of Environment back in the ’90s, and the work that he did to be able to expand provincial parks. That work led to benefiting so many of my constituents in Langford–Juan de Fuca and now Langford-Highlands as well. It’s great to see our new Minister of Environment and Parks continuing on with those New Democratic values of making sure that all British Columbians get a chance to benefit from our stewardship as well. With this legislation, Bill 3, we are expanding B.C.’s parks and protected areas by adding 143 hectares to three existing provincial parks — Naikoon, Wells Gray and Cinnemousun Narrows. As part of this work…. It’s an acknowledgement that some of these provincial parks were established in times where there wasn’t formal recognition of Indigenous rights and title. There wasn’t formal acknowledgement of the meaningful role that government must play, all governments must play, of meaningfully engaging with Indigenous peoples, with First Nations. I think that is what’s unique about this amendment and why I am so excited to be able to speak to Bill 3. I hope my other colleagues on this side of the House and others on the other side will speak up to it as well. This was done in meaningful dialogue and consultation with Indigenous peoples, with First Nations. That’s unique, because for a long time, we weren’t doing that as a government. We would often talk…. I presume, as I wasn’t there 40, 50, 70, 80 or 100 years ago, when we first talked about Strathcona Provincial Park. I’m sure back then we weren’t inviting First Nations to our table. We weren’t inviting First Peoples, those who have been stewarding our land since time immemorial, to the table to be a part of these conversations, to be able to hear directly from them on the importance of stewarding those lands. It’s so important, as the Minister of Forests, who has had a chance to travel much of the province…. I was on a road trip just a few weeks ago. I visited Smithers, Burns Lake, Terrace, Fraser Lake, Fort St. James, Vanderhoof, Prince George, Williams Lake, Quesnel, a few places in the last little while, to be able to hear directly from Indigenous peoples, in particular First Nations leaders, on the important role and to see the connection that’s been formed. When we’ve talked about provincial parks in the past, in my community of Langford–Juan de Fuca, now Langford-Highlands, as my colleague from Juan de Fuca–Malahat represents…. We’ve talked about the challenges when we’ve looked to expand provincial parks. There have been concerns raised by nations that we have not meaningfully engaged with them. We haven’t given thought or consideration to the impacts of expanding parks on First Nations. It is so important that we engage with people. My colleague the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation talked about, whether it’s online or on the site of these provincial parks, acknowledging the Indigenous names, the ancestry, the territorial acknowledgement. I’ll tell you. It wasn’t too long ago that I had an opportunity to be at Juan de Fuca Provincial Park when I was the MLA for the region — to be able to see a beautiful board display from the paaʔčiidʔatx̣ Nation, the people of the seafoam, as they’re known as, beautifully constructed. This was a great partnership between B.C. Parks, the CRD and the paaʔčiidʔatx̣ Nation that acknowledged the territories. To be able to see little kids run up and take a look at the history…. We often talk about the enjoyment of our provincial parks — running around, lots of running around, sometimes up big hills and down hills and taking some falls and getting some scrapes. What I remember as a kid growing up was all the scrapes on your knees going through our beautiful provincial parks. Not to try to bore this for the kids at home, these are history lessons for us as well. It’s an opportunity for us to be able to acknowledge that these parks, before they were parks, were and continue to be territories for local nations. Through the work that my colleague the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation is doing through the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act…. I’m so proud that this legislation and the legislation we’re bringing forward, like Bill 3, is being done through that lens, through true, lasting and meaningful engagement with Indigenous peoples. For me, when I see this legislation come forward, and I see the name change, which I’ll touch on, I think of the relationship that I was able to build previously with the paaʔčiidʔatx̣ Nation and the work that goes into not only expanding parks but recognizing those territories and making sure that it’s not just done on a website, that it’s done physically on the ground for people to enjoy. That’s why this legislation is so meaningful, because it speaks to renaming two parks to traditional Indigenous names that recognize the significant cultural values and, again, supports ongoing reconciliation as well. I think it falls upon all of us. I think of this in my communities. Often when we name things in recognition of Indigenous peoples, the first thing people are worried about is: how do you pronounce that? You don’t want to, in this case, embarrass yourself or disrespect a nation as well. It’s so important that this work is now collectively all of us. As it’s been introduced, Bill 3, in this House, it’s an opportunity for all of us to be able to practise these names. I think it’s an opportunity for all British Columbians to do so as well. Enderby Cliffs Park near Salmon Arm will be renamed to Tplaqín/Enderby Cliffs Park. Tplaqín means “cliff” in Interior Salish. Maquinna Marine Park near Tofino will be renamed Nism̓aakqin, which means “our land that we care for” in nuučaan̓uɫ. This is such a great opportunity for the generations today to be able to acknowledge these names and to just watch a year or two, or five or ten years from now, these names will just be flying. They’ll be used, and there’ll be an acknowledgement of our past and how important reconciliation is on our journey as well. I know that provincial parks mean so much to British Columbians, and it’s why it’s so important that we do our level best to be able to make additions whenever we can. We take this opportunity to be able to provide an opportunity for British Columbians to be a part of this work and to be able to enjoy these parks. As an MLA, I learned very quickly that one of the most controversial days as an MLA in our community office…. I know that there are a lot of new members on both sides of the House, so I’m giving you a bit of a heads-up. When the first day of provincial parks booking happens, that’s a pretty controversial day because sometimes the website doesn’t necessarily work, or sometimes people are just jamming on there online and trying to get their booking in. So usually when it doesn’t work out for them, they’re calling their MLA’s office, so just a heads-up for folks. We’ve done lots of work over the years to be able to rectify those challenges and to be able to address the high volume of people that are coming online and taking advantage of our provincial parks. I know that with this legislation, Bill 3, there will be a lot of people getting an opportunity to be able to enjoy these five parks that we speak to, the two that I named, and of course, Naikoon, Wells Gray and Cinnemousun Narrows provincial parks as well. Provincial parks serve as an opportunity for us to be able to acknowledge the beautiful province that we live in. Again, I think of my own personal connection to provincial parks growing up as a kid, visiting with my parents in provincial parks. Often, what we did in our family was that we would just go on a little bit of a picnic in our provincial parks as well. That’s a memory I hold quite dearly with my parents and my grandmother and my siblings. I know that all British Columbians have that connection with provincial parks as well. There are so many of them across the province. With this legislation that we’ve brought forward, it’s an acknowledgement of the great work that has been done through the last number of years on stewarding our provincial parks; protecting our provincial parks; again, protecting the biodiversity; protecting parks from wildfires; and on climate resilience. We know that climate change is having a devastating impact on our lands, and it’s so important for us to be able to address that, not just through dealing with it when wildfires occur, but all the important work that happens prior to that as well. Also, it’s an opportunity for us to be able to acknowledge that a lot of fun happens in our provincial parks. I remember the last time I was at Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, I and a couple of buddies that were going up came across someone who was getting engaged. That was really nice. They didn’t have…. It was just a person who was proposing, and they didn’t have someone taking a photo. So we took the photo and provided it to them. That was really special to be able to see. Provincial parks have a meaningful place in my heart, as they do for all British Columbians. I just wanted to provide my opportunity through Bill 3 in this legislation, the park act amendment for B.C., to be able to speak to the value of our provincial parks and the work that my colleague, the Minister of Environment and Parks, has been doing since she was sworn in as the minister to stand and defend our parks and to steward them and to expand them. A lot of work is done through this legislation, but there’s so much more work to do. What a pleasure to be able to stand in this House and be able to speak to this legislation and the important work that we’re doing on this side of the House on this important project.

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Hon. Ravi Parmar

BC NDP

2/24/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

Mr. Speaker, to begin, I haven’t had an opportunity with you in the chair to offer my congratulations to you in taking on this very important role as Deputy Speaker. I’ve known you for a number of years now. You’ve always been a stand-up guy who has represented his community, one of the first members that I’ve spoken to on the other side when I took over as Minister of Forests. I’ve always appreciated our relationship. Congratulations. It’s really great to see you up there in the robes. I just want to begin by acknowledging my thanks to the Minister of Environment and Parks, to be taking a role in such a critical portfolio and to be able to bring in legislation within months of taking on that role. The minister has had a long-standing career in the federal service and has done such incredible work in her community with the Haida Nation. I remember meeting her for the first time here, prior to this House, when different legislation was being introduced. I so appreciate the work that she does. I think as we talk about Bill 3, in this legislation to make amendments to the Park Act, it serves as an opportunity for us to be able to thank the public service for the incredible work that they do in the Ministry of Environment and Parks, and also in other ministries. Legislation isn’t just confined to one ministry; it touches so many other ministries. As exciting as it is for us to be able to stand up in this place and to be able to talk about this legislation, to share some of the stories that my colleague has just shared about her experiences with her family in our great provincial parks, what an opportunity it is for us to be able to celebrate the great work that the public service has done on the ground in communities, bringing this work to this Legislature and making it official. I just wanted to acknowledge that. What a history we have had here in British Columbia with protecting our natural heritage — Strathcona Park, the first provincial park in British Columbia a long, long time ago — and where we have come to. I’m so proud of the work we have done on this side of the House, continuously, year over year, expanding our provincial parks and a whole host of things. The reason why we do that: parks are not just protected spaces. They are not just places for conservation. They are absolutely essential for biodiversity, for climate resilience and for the public’s well-being. That’s what I hope to be able to speak to in the time that I have today: all of those different pieces that I think really speak to this legislation, Bill 3, and the importance of bringing this legislation forward and planning for the future of British Columbia, stewarding our lands, looking after our landscape. We have been doing that for a long time here in this province. There’s also a lot of recognition, which I’ll speak to in a little bit, of the role of First Nations, the role of Indigenous peoples, who have been the stewards of this land since time immemorial. I’m looking forward to being able to share some of my own stories with the nations that I’ve worked closely with and the connection that I’ve been able to build through the work with and the connections with provincial parks as well. Again, expanding and properly managing our park system and the work that my colleague the minister has done by bringing forward this legislation, Bill 3, ensure that future generations, future British Columbians, can experience B.C.’s natural beauty. I might add that it’s not just British Columbians that enjoy our provincial parks. Everyone enjoys our provincial parks. I had an opportunity, prior to the election, to represent, I would argue, the most beautiful constituency in the province. I still represent the most beautiful constituency in the province, Langford-Highlands.

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Lorne Doerkson

Conservative Party of British Columbia

2/24/2025

Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

Debate will continue on Bill 3, and we’ll recognize the Minister of Forests.

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Bill 3 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025

I have the honour of standing to speak in support of Bill 3, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2025. I want to start by saying I’m so proud of my colleague Minister Davidson for the work she and her team have done on this significant bill, which contains proposed amendments to the Protected Areas of British Columbia Act. This act will expand three existing provincial parks, as well as rename two parks to recognize Indigenous connections to land. Minister Davidson and her team are already delivering results for people. I want to respond not only in my role as Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, as I believe these changes will have positive, long-term impacts for furthering reconciliation across the province, but I also want to respond as a resident of B.C. who loves and believes in the value of our parks and wild spaces almost as much as I know I will grow to love standing here and speaking about legislation about parks and wild spaces. I am a parent of two — what’s the appropriate word? — lively children. We live right in the heart of Vancouver, so when we get to go on summer holidays to B.C. parks, which we do every single summer, I get to see my kids go feral, really run wild, in the trees and along the beaches and make all the noise that they do in our home but with more space and less echo. I see them run with abandon and get dirty, dig into the soil and come back to the tent covered in sand. Much as it pains me, as the person who will sweep the tent out after, it means so much for my city kids to be out in these beautiful spaces. It means so much to me that we continue to protect and expand those spaces. We know our population is growing across B.C. To have these beautiful spaces protected for all of us to enjoy and also for their own sake, not just for human use but for ecosystem health and wildlife use as well — I’m excited, for all of those reasons, about this important work. Bill 3 proposes, as I said, amendments to rename two class A parks to include Indigenous place names. Article 13 of the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples, UNDRIP, specifically refers to place names. This work is intrinsic to B.C.’s effort, as a whole, to advance reconciliation, including the recommendations by the Declaration Act action plan passed unanimously in this House. As Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, I’m pleased to see this bill reflect those changes that were made in partnership with First Nations. I talk a lot about DRIPA. I meet with Chiefs and councils and nations to talk about, particularly, how that large-scale, systemic work lands on the ground for communities and how we make sure we’re implementing it in meaningful ways. Updating, changing place names is a key piece of that, because it allows people to see themselves and their culture in the place that they have stewarded since time immemorial. Indigenous place names often reflect the geography, the history and the cultural significance of a place, whether they were given prior to colonization or in partnership with governments today. The first park that is proposed to be renamed is Enderby Cliffs Park near Salmon Arm, which will be renamed to Tplaqín/Enderby Cliffs Park. I know sometimes we hear, in name changes, concern about people who have known a place by one name continuing to find it. The new name, Tplaqín, means “cliff” in Interior Salish. This name change comes at the request of the Splatsin First Nation to better reflect their name for the area. Enderby is near and dear to me because one of my near-and-dear friends grew up there and speaks, as I know so many residents from communities around the province do, with so much warmth about his home community and his enthusiasm for going back whenever possible and the way that the community supported him growing up, the way that the community supported his mom when she was ill. When I was reading through an initial draft of the legislation, I reached out to this friend to hear about his stories of Enderby Cliffs Park. I can’t share all of them in these chambers, but I will share that he had many fond and a couple rowdy memories of growing up and spending time with friends in this park. I think about and I talked about my young kids and the wild abandon with which they enjoy B.C. parks. But for so many teenagers as well, our parks are an important living-room space for them to gather with friends and maybe get out of their parents’ home for a moment and have that breathing room to be in nature, to connect with the earth and to connect with one another, even if it is in ways, consuming beverages or whatever else, that I won’t mention in this chamber. Important public spaces for all of us. I just wanted to name…. I know each of these places is important to the communities that they’re in, and Enderby brought up stories and good reconnections for me, as well, on that front. The second park is Maquinna Marine Park near Tofino, which is to be renamed Nism̓aakqin Park. Nism̓aakqin means “our land that we care for” in nuučaan̓uɫ. That renaming, I thought, was so powerful. What a perfect name for a community to give a park that has been part of their home for countless generations: our land that we care for. The ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ First Nation provided the name, clearly with thought and significance to what this piece of land means to the community and the nation. I want to talk a bit about the significance of place names because, as mentioned, these changes are a partnership with Indigenous communities and local governments, reminding us that our work can’t be successful without these vital collaborations. The renaming of places to their Indigenous names is a reflection of our government’s commitment to advancing reconciliation with First Nations. It’s a step toward preserving and promoting the true historical context of these places and ensuring that their significance is not lost. By embracing these names, we honour the stories and traditions and knowledge that have been passed down through generations. I’m always heartened to see the support from local governments and the public when these name change discussions begin and that engagement and involvement to get to the point that we’re at now, as is the case with both of these examples — strong community involvement, community support and local government support for these changes. Members may know that I previously served for six years as a city councillor at Vancouver city hall and worked closely with local government colleagues around the province on a whole range of important issues that are important to British Columbia. I remember being at city hall in Vancouver when the Vancouver park board passed a motion to recognize Indigenous place names in Vancouver’s parks and beaches, which has helped to open up all kinds of new pathways for communication and consultation in Vancouver’s parks. Similarly, I brought a motion forward to Vancouver city hall to recognize the Year of Indigenous Languages a few years ago, which aligned with the park board’s work being done around renaming and aligned with city work, as well, on that front. When I take my family to a place and we see its Indigenous name, I’m grateful. Often we will search the name. We’ll practise how you pronounce the new name. There are a number of places in my home community in Vancouver where additional names have been added or names have been changed. Of course, it’s some work to learn new pronunciations, to get accustomed to a new name for a place, and it’s an important learning opportunity. I have always really appreciated, as I’ve worked with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm,Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ, the repeated teachings that I have had and practise I’ve had in pronunciation, the willingness from community to hear you say it wrong a few times before getting it right, that space for learning alongside one another. Then, as is often the case, audio clues, whether it’s…. I have seen place name signs with an audio button so that a person visiting the site can press the button and hear right there how to pronounce the new name. I also know that in places like shíshálh on the Sunshine Coast, they have quite an extensive library of audio clips on their website, so that you can look up the name of a place and hear a language speaker from the nation say it again and again so it sticks in your head. I know that well because I was using that resource just this past week. Minister Neill and I were up in shíshálh for a celebration at the longhouse there, and I had speaking notes. My speaking notes contained a number of words that I had to learn to pronounce along the way, and what a helpful resource it was to be able to go on the website and hear the proper pronunciation of them. So I am grateful for those opportunities in place names across the province, where we are learning our history together, where we’re recognizing culture and the connection between culture and language and land. I’m grateful to be part of a collective learning journey with my kids, with my family, asking those questions together. That wasn’t the case when I was a kid, and I am grateful to see and feel that progress underway. Bill 3, in addition to the renaming of two parks, proposes expanding B.C. parks and protected areas by adding 143 hectares to three provincial parks: Naikoon, Wells Gray and — I’m going to make sure I pronounce this one right — Cinnemousun Narrows near Sicamous, which will see three acres added to land and three hectares of lakeshore added. Wells Gray Park, near Clearwater, will see 33 hectares to protect wetland and forests. Naikoon Park, on Haida Gwaii, will add 104 hectares of private land to further protect ecosystems and wildlife habitat. I have been to some but not all of these parks in our beautiful province. The ones I haven’t yet had a chance to be at, I looked up Google reviews for. I thought if I can’t….

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