Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

NDP government continues to make decisions about forest service roads and public lands in isolation, without considering the cumulative impacts on rural BC

IMAGE:  Government of BC

The NDP government is failing to keep the interests of all British Columbians in mind when making decisions on public land.

In what is part of a trend of short-sighted road closures and denying public access to public land, the NDP government is planning to eliminate public access to the Incomappleux Conservancy in the Kootenays. These decisions threaten public safety during emergencies and deprive communities of tourism and recreation opportunities.

“The NDP government continues to make decisions about forest service roads and public lands in isolation, without considering the cumulative impacts on rural BC,” said Donegal Wilson, Shadow Minister for Water, Land, Fisheries, and Wildlife Management. 

“These roads are far more than forestry infrastructure. They provide emergency access during wildfires, connect people to private property, and support hunting, fishing, camping, and outdoor recreation that rural economies depend on. Yet while communities are being told to diversify through tourism, the government is closing the very roads that provide access to those opportunities. We are seeing the consequences right now, as firefighters are forced to spend days rebuilding roads and bridges before they can get equipment to active wildfires. British Columbians deserve a government that manages public land with a long-term, whole-of-government approach instead of siloed decision making.”

“The Incomappleux Forest Service Road is being permanently closed. Prospectors, recreators, and 150 private property owners, will permanently lose access to this area which has been open for over 125 years,” said Scott McInnis, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Relations and MLA for Columbia River-Revelstoke. 

“Combine this with co-governance over Crown land use across this province and we’re seeing restricted access happen quickly and frequently under the NDP.”

“Public access to the back roads of BC is key to allowing people to enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, recreational vehicles, and camping,” said Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Leader of the Conservative Party of BC. 

“A BC Conservative government will reactivate any unnecessary closures and will repair roads where necessary to provide access to the citizens of BC who own and share them.”  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interfor Moves Headquarters Out of BC as Forestry Crisis Continues

NDP policies are driving businesses out of B.C., and the forestry industry just suffered yet another calamity. Interfor, a BC company founded more than 60 years ago and now one of the world's largest lumber producers, is moving its headquarters from Burnaby, BC to Atlanta, Georgia. As BC’s forestry sector faces mill closures and mounting uncertainty, this move is another warning sign that the crisis is deepening and conditions are fatal. “This is the NDP’s record: endless job losses with no hope in sight for the forestry sector,” said Ward Stamer, Shadow Minister for Forestry. “Interfor still has three mills in BC which are now in serious jeopardy, and it is likely we will see even more companies pull out of BC. The NDP government is suffocating the forestry industry with high taxes, excessive regulations, and permitting delays, while DRIPA has made it impossible to plan for the future.” “Decisions like this are sadly not surprising given the NDP’s indifference if not hostility tow...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more