BC United is pledging $100 million to revitalize the declining populations of the provinces iconic species and their habitats as part of a larger $200 million strategy.
BC United leader Kevin Falcon launched his party’s new fish and wildlife management plan in Cranbrook over the weekend.
“This is the gold standard for conservation and I’m very proud of it,” Falcon said.
“In total, it will be about $200 million invested in ensuring we protect biodiversity and that we have the top rate conservation protocols right here in British Columbia so future generations can enjoy everything that’s so great about British Columbia.”
Falcon was visiting Cranbrook as part of a listening tour to hear what residents are wanting ahead of this fall’s provincial election.
Kootenay East MLA Tom Shypitka believes this plan will better represent wildlife needs across the province and specifically here in the Kootenays.
“We’ve got the people who can do it. We’ve got the best stakeholders and user groups anywhere in the province, the problem is the government never uses them,” he said.
“They never listen and they always think what’s best in Victoria is good for rural British Columbia, but that’s not true. With this initiative, we can bring those stakeholders together and get it done.”
They are looking to establish an independent funding model managed by a new agency.
“The principle of this is that all the fees of licensing, angling and hunting are all dedicated 100 per cent towards this effort,” Falcon added.
This is a project Shypitka has been passionate about since first becoming MLA and has been working on it for around eight years.
“For heaven’s sake, we need a science-based approach. This is something we’ve seen the government mishandle for years,” Shypitka said.
“We need to get away from these managing to zero regulations that we have in place that fit a political agenda. With this announcement, we will be able to set up an independent agency that is arm’s length from the government so we can get those funds directly into wildlife and habitat.”
The initiative also includes centralizing fish, wildlife, and habitat management within a dedicated ministry so it can’t be undermined by other resource-based legislation.
However, the plan’s implementation is dependent on BC United forming government in October.
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