WHEREAS provincial parks, their facilities and services provide recreation opportunities for all British Columbians and tourists travelling through our province, but the Province has failed to fund these parks, facilities and services adequately, resulting in widespread deferred maintenance, safety issues and limited accessibility throughout the BC Parks system; AND WHEREAS the Province has invited local governments to assume a shared stewardship role for provincial parks in general and through funding programs such as the Community Legacy Program, but many local governments across the province do not have the resources necessary to participate in the financing or operation of provincial parks, facilities or services: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the provincial government to provide appropriate budgets and staff to fully support the continued and sustained operation of provincial parks and related facilities and services, year-round where appropriate, thereby supporting the tourism industry and the quality of life of all British Columbians; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the provincial government be asked to recognise provincial parks and related facilities and services as the sole responsibility of the Province and cease all direct and indirect attempts to download these services, or any aspects of these services, to local government.
Ministry of Environment British Columbia has a world-class parks system. More than 14 per cent of British Columbias total area is now protected more than any other province in the country. It is second in size only to the Canadian National Parks system, and over the past decade it has continued to grow. For example, 1.9 million hectares have been added through the creation of 65 new parks, 144 conservancies, two ecological reserves, nine protected areas and the expansion of more than 60 parks and six ecological reserves. Today, the province has nearly 1,000 parks and protected areas. The BC Parks budget, like many, is unfortunately not immune to the global economic situation, and in 201112 the budget is reduced by approximately two per cent as government focuses resources on health care and education. This reduction was identified two years ago as part of governments three-year fiscal plan. However, the budget is still nearly 30 million, which allows the delivery of key services as well as maintenance and enhancement facilities in parks in every region of the province, thereby supporting the tourism industry for British Columbians. BC Parks spends 10.98 million in capital projects every year and maintains a network of facilities worth approximately 700 million. BC Parks staff do a great job looking after provincial parks; there are about 20 million visitors each year, and the visitor satisfaction rate for BC Parks is 80 per cent. The camping reservation services are among the best in North America and provide exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities. In 2011 BC Parks celebrated the 100th anniversary of its first Provincial Park by launching a Community Legacy Program, directing 450,000 to community groups to upgrade facilities in local parks. In addition, BC Parks worked with partners and sponsors to engage British Columbians in Parks 100 celebrations all across the Province. British Columbias Provincial Parks and Protected Areas are the size of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI combined. While performing maintenance on every trail or attending to every blown-down tree is not possible, BC Parks works to ensure that these very special places are accessible for British Columbians today and preserved for the park users of tomorrow.