BC Liberal Government vs the environment

[EZGuy]

I've worked for close to 2 decades for a local Okanagan municipality. Before the Liberal government came to power 16 years ago there were roughly 12 Ministry of Environment employees (including several biologists) devoted to environmental issues in the southern part of BC east of Hope. A big part of their job was to review land alteration proposals and violations in proximity to streams, rivers and lakes - ensuring anything from forestry cuts to lakefront home development were done in a manner which protects the ecosystem. There are now 2 employees for this massive area who are tasked with ensuring environmental protection, yet the BC Liberals state they are pro-environment.

The new environmental review process is to have private qualified environmental professional (QEP) sent a report to the Ministry indicating how the proponent wants to alter (read wreck) the foreshore and the Province simply warehouses the report, actually reviewing maybe every 50th report for compliance.

In 2004 the Liberal government offloaded the actual regulation of sensitive environmental issues to each municipality under a development permit process. Municipalities cannot enforce for lack of permits unless they take a violator to court, that is too costly for especially small towns. So under the Liberals go ahead, do the damage to the foreshore, then claim ignorance and say sorry after the fact. No-one has the big stick anymore.

As a planner I've received some reports from various qualified environmental professionals who actually were very professional and held their clients to a high standard of environmental,protection HOWEVER most environmental "professionals" produced plans clearly reflecting no benefit to the foreshore, the client just demand denuding the lot of those view blocking trees, which were beneficial to the ecosystem, and gave the owner a sand beach, which kills the Kokanee spawning areas. Some QEP reports I receivd were produced by surveyors and believe it, an agrologist, clearly people who have no biology background whatsoever. And it's a race to the bottom of the barrel, many of these private enterprise QEP's just need to make payroll so they do exactly what the client wants regardless of the regulations supposedly designed to protect the shoreline. And who doesn't go with the low bidder who says of course you can dig up the shoreline! If you have been out on Okanagan lake in developed areas you see exactly what I'm talking about (Casa Loma, Sheerwater, McKinley Beach are bigger examples).

Shame on us if we give Crusty Clark's oh so environmentally conscious liberals another 4 years. Time for a change!

[George+]

Liberals have also decimated any environmental oversight
Of Forestry.

[BeingHuman]

Environmental monitoring has been so pathetic under this BC Liberal Government, The B.C. Wildlife Federation has written to the provincial Auditor-General asking for an investigation into how the government is spending the money it raises from fishing and hunting fees. Money is definitely not going back into environmental monitoring!

Read more about it here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/bri ... le1211514/

[Rwede]

You were saying?


British Columbia's Environment Budget Continues Decline
05/15/00
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: British Columbia's Environment Budget Continues Decline
Source: © 1999 Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment, Montreal
Date: May 15, 2000

MONTREAL, May 15, 2000 - Since 1995/96, the Government of British Columbia (B.C.) has cut its environment budget 28.5 percent - from $263,700,000 to $188,506,000 in the new fiscal year 2000/2001. The Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks was one of the least funded ministries, listed 12th out of 19 ministries in budget size. The environment ministry budget represented only 0.8 percent of the total 1999/2000 British Columbia budget of $21.1 billion and is being cut at a time when the entire BC budget has been increased.

Cuts to the environment budget in B.C. are much larger than the average cuts to any of the other ministries. While it is important that fat be trimmed from government spending, it is indicative that the environment budget was cut much more than the overall government cutbacks, which average much less than 10 percent since 1995.

More than 400 full time positions have been removed from the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. As a result, the Ministry has lost the ability to fully inspect, monitor, and enforce its own laws. Also, the B.C. government has lost the ability to enforce federal laws such as the federal Fisheries Act, CEPA and the new Species at Risk Act (SARA) that will be passed this year. Also, B.C. is no longer in a position to monitor and enforce the Canada Wide Standards that will be set out under Canadian Council of the Ministers of the Environment (CCME) under the Harmonization Agreement that gives some of the federal powers to the provinces. As a result, B.C. will have unfunded mandates and will basically not be able to meet its legal obligations under its laws. Also, it will not be able to help Canada comply with national commitments to international environmental agreements, because of lack of funding.

To contact the B.C. Government about the budget cuts email [email protected]. See the B.C. Government budget at the website http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/. See the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks at http://www.gov.bc.ca/elp/.
B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks Budget From 1995 to 2000
The following are the annual budget allocations by the Government of British Columbia to the Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks (MELP). The numbers are in the millions of dollars (000,000):

95/96 - $263
96/97 - $222
97/98 - $204
98/99 - $188
99/00 - $194
00/01 - $188

During this same period MELP staff were reduced by 400 from 2,453 in 1995 to 2053 in 2000. Normally, it is expected that the New Democratic Party (NDP) is socially sensitive and environmentally friendly. Certainly, that is how the NDP has cast itself in opposition. However, now as government, like in Ontario (during the Bob Rae NDP Government), the NDP have displayed much more conservative attitudes regarding the need to protect the environmental health of people.
Source B.C. Government Services Employees' Union (BCGEU), 2994 Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C. , V8T 4N4, ph. (250) 388-9948, fax (250) 384-8060, 1 800 667- 1033, E-mail: [email protected] , Website: http://www.bcgeu.bc.ca/contact.html.

B.C. Environment Survey Reveals Government of British Columbia Not Doing Its Job
A survey conducted of the professionals working for MELP reveals that the ability of the Ministry to protect the environment has been severely compromised by the budget cuts. The survey, conducted by the British Columbia Government Employees' Union (BCGEU) found, "very low morale, and a great loss of confidence in the ministry's ability to protect the environment". It found that, "ministry employees have lost confidence in the ministry's ability to do the job. With further cuts to staff and resources planned for the current fiscal year, the ministry will become even less able to manage and protect our environment". The survey found that, "the men and women who protect B.C.'s environment say that they are less able to do the job now than they were five years ago, and that there is not enough field work, monitoring and assessment."

It also found that, "current workloads do not allow permit and monitoring systems to work effectively. Only 2 percent give a "good" rating to B.C.'s permit and monitoring systems. None rate it as "very effective". More than half 53 percent call it "poor", while 35 percent say it is "not at all effective", for a combined negative rating of 88 percent. The survey was conducted by sending 1,600 questionnaires to MELP staff; out of which 252 (16 percent) were returned and analyzed.

A copy of the report based on the survey can be obtained from Cliff Stainsby, Senior Researcher, British Columbia Government Employees' Union, 2994 Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C. V8T 4N4, ph. (250) 388-9948, fax (250) 384-8060, 1 800 667- 1033, E-mail [email protected] , Website http://www.bcgeu.bc.ca/contact.html.

[BeingHuman]

The environmental budget did not decline nearly as much as it's decline under the BC Liberals, the following is just plain embarrassing... no it's actually a joke!!!

Since the BC Liberals took power in 2001 they have eliminated one in three conservation officer positions. On average, the area patrolled by each B.C. conservation officer increased to an area 2½ times larger than that covered by a similar Alberta officer. Saskatchewan, with less than a quarter of B.C.’s population, was found by one comparative study to have 56 per cent more staff devoted to enforcing environmental protection. But that’s not the half of it; even the word "CONSERVATION" seems to have less meaning within the department these days.

Last July, Conservation Officer Bryce Casavant refusing to kill two young black bear cubs, even though he was directed to do so by his supervisor 500 kms away in Victoria. Bryce assessed the situation, and even though he had to kill their aggressive mother, he thought the two cubs could be saved and could be rehabilitated, he lost his job over this - sparking a global outcry and outpouring of over 200,000 people signing a petition supporting his action.

[The Green Barbarian]

Time for a change!

To who though? The NDP and Green party are worse. So who do we change to?

[The Green Barbarian]

Last July, Conservation Officer Bryce Casavant.

isn't this bozo now running for the NDP somewhere in some bizarre publicity stunt concocted by the evil NDP?

[Rwede]

Under the NDP in Kelowna, we had between one and two conservation officers.

Under the Liberals, we have 4, plus we have dedicated Compliance and Enforcement staff from FLNRO.

We can always use more COs, but we certainly had WAY fewer under the NDP than we do under the Liberals. And that's a FACT, Jack.

[Rwede]

Last July, Conservation Officer Bryce Casavant refusing to kill two young black bear cubs, even though he was directed to do so by his supervisor 500 kms away in Victoria. Bryce assessed the situation, and even though he had to kill their aggressive mother, he thought the two cubs could be saved and could be rehabilitated, he lost his job over this - sparking a global outcry and outpouring of over 200,000 people signing a petition supporting his action.

Casavant is an insubordinate idiot who was not suited to be a professional conservation officer.

No wonder he's an NDP candidate now.

[BeingHuman]

How bad is environmental protection and management by the BC Liberals? The answer is, it is nearly none existent!!!

""How can the government be managing anything in a sustainable manner any more?" Mr. Lloyd asks.

"He said there aren't enough people left to maintain an ecosystem classification program that's been the cornerstone of forest management in British Columbia for more than 30 years. A new forest ecology lab in Kamloops is sitting empty and a herbarium, a living library of plants with 6,000 specimens in it, is facing closing because there's no one to care for it."

Bill Otway, a director of the Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club says; "the fish and wildlife branch has been cut almost 50 per cent in the past few years," Mr. Otway complained. "Most of your steelhead biologists are gone. There are very few wildlife technicians left. And when was the last time you saw a conservation officer? They just aren't out there any more."

Mr. Otway, a voice on the outdoor scene for more than three decades, said he can remember when the fish and wildlife branch had 600 people on staff. "That was in 1976 - today there are 208."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/bri ... le1211514/

[Rwede]

Under the NDP:

More than 400 full time positions have been removed from the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. As a result, the Ministry has lost the ability to fully inspect, monitor, and enforce its own laws. Also, the B.C. government has lost the ability to enforce federal laws such as the federal Fisheries Act, CEPA and the new Species at Risk Act (SARA) that will be passed this year. Also, B.C. is no longer in a position to monitor and enforce the Canada Wide Standards that will be set out under Canadian Council of the Ministers of the Environment (CCME) under the Harmonization Agreement that gives some of the federal powers to the provinces. As a result, B.C. will have unfunded mandates and will basically not be able to meet its legal obligations under its laws. Also, it will not be able to help Canada comply with national commitments to international environmental agreements, because of lack of funding.


So the NDP neutered the environment ministry.

They sacked employees left and right.

They cut enforcement to negligible effectiveness.

And somehow, NDPers point to staffing levels in 1976, and blame it all on the Liberals.

Anybody see anything wrong with this picture?

[BeingHuman]

BC Liberal Conservation funding is so pathetic in BC that recreation clubs are donating money to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, just to help them enforce freshwater poaching laws. Yup British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service is now receiving charitable donations just to provide essential services.

https://sooke.pocketnews.ca/ndp-slam-bc ... hing-laws/

[OldIslander]

Last July, Conservation Officer Bryce Casavant refusing to kill two young black bear cubs, even though he was directed to do so by his supervisor 500 kms away in Victoria. Bryce assessed the situation, and even though he had to kill their aggressive mother, he thought the two cubs could be saved and could be rehabilitated, he lost his job over this - sparking a global outcry and outpouring of over 200,000 people signing a petition supporting his action.

While I agree with his action in this story, his candidacy for the NDP is an example of how the system works. Casavant suddenly found himself out of work, but basking in his '15 minutes of fame' -- good positive fame. So rather than find some new work in his field of expertise, he's trying to cash in his golden ticket and become an MLA. He'd of had no chance without the fame.

Being elected as an MLA (or MP) is like winning the 649 of political patronage. You get a six figure salary for sitting on a back bench, doing and voting precisely as you're told to do by the party whip. The only way you can get into trouble is by thinking and/or speaking out according to you conscience. If you can win a 2nd election, you have just one the Supermax Superlottery -- you'll now qualify for the most generous gold-plated pension in Canada. Pretty good work if you can get it.

It would be so easy to become cynical.

[Rwede]

BC Liberal Conservation funding is so pathetic in BC that recreation clubs are donating money to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, just to help them enforce freshwater poaching laws. Yup British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service is now receiving charitable donations just to provide essential services.

https://sooke.pocketnews.ca/ndp-slam-bc ... hing-laws/

Freshwater Fisheries is not doing charitable donations.

FFSBC is using excess funds to expand protection of the fisheries resource, at the request of anglers who fund the society.

Why do the NDP and their supporters lie so vehemently on these issues? Don't they realize people much smarter than they will do fact checks?

[The Green Barbarian]

Why do the NDP and their supporters lie so vehemently on these issues?

They lie vehemently on almost every issue. It's like Donald Trump's poem about the snake. If BC is ever stupid enough to vote NDP and let them take over government again, this is what is going to happen:

"We voted for you," cried the people of BC
"And you've bit us even, why?
You know your bite is poisonous and now we're going to die"
"Oh shut up, silly people," said the reptile NDP with a grin
"You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in
"Vote for us, oh tender BC people
Vote for us, for heaven's sake
Vote for us oh tender BC people, " sighed the horrible NDP snake