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Council endorses Pop for Parks

Mar 22 2016/in News Coverage

Saanich council has put their support behind Pop for Parks, an initiative calling on the provincial government to direct unclaimed bottle deposits into a land acquisition fund.

On Monday, council voted 8-1 in favour of the resolution, which is to be submitted to the AVICC and the UBCM. If approved, B.C. residents could see $10 to $15 million annually put toward creating and protecting green spaces in the province.

The recommendation was brought to council in a joint report by Couns. Fred Haynes and Vic Derman. Haynes noted that about 20 per cent of bottles and cans are not returned, creating windfall profits for the beverage industry.

“What we’re seeking in this resolution is attention to that fund, and it might be that part of the fund is used for parks,” said Haynes. “The aim is to raise this issue and have that fund looked at as a possible source of revenue for parks.”

Likewise, Derman acknowledged that the money would do a lot of good for the local environment, even if it wasn’t entirely used to acquire green spaces.

“I think there is an opportunity to mandate that a fair amount of this unredeemed deposit on the part of the public should go to something like parks,” said Derman.

Coun. Leif Wergeland voted against the proposal, but only because he wanted council and residents to consider if there are other options where the money would be better spent.

“The acquisition and protection of ecologically sensitive private lands in B.C., I don’t think anyone around this table or in this room can really argue with that,” he said. “The question I think we have to ask ourselves and the greater community is, if these funds are accessible to us, acquiring and protecting parkland, is that the most important issue facing us? It could well be, but I think we should look at that before we just look at one area and say we’d like to put money into this.

“For that reason only, I support the environment, but on this issue, I’d like to be sure this is where our residents and council really want to put the money.”

Ancient Forest with some of the largest cedar trees in B.C. will be class A park

Mar 16 2016/in News Coverage

Great news! The province has established a new 11,900 hectare protected area east of Prince George that includes important tracts of the famous ancient redcedar groves in the inland temperate rainforest. Thanks to the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation, the Northern Wetbelt Working Group (who have been working for a substantially more extensive, science-based protected areas network in the region to protect more of the inland temperate rainforest) and the province for this important step forward in old-growth forest protection!

Also take note you can still sign-on to the Northern Wetbelt Working Group's letter for expanded protection in the region (if you haven't already) at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16hq-R8ZOylR-wLSz9OjbxRdf4NYHYnG9Uo1Lu12qr0U/viewform

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PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — A unique rainforest comprised of some of the largest cedar trees in British Columbia is set to become a provincial park.

Premier Christy Clark has announced that 119 square kilometres of forest in northern B.C. will become a class A provincial park under legislation to be introduced Wednesday.

The designation would protect the Ancient Forest, also known as Chun T'oh Wudujut to local First Nations, from timber harvesting and other commercial activity.

Located about 120 kilometres east of Prince George, the forest is part of the only known inland temperate rainforest in the world, and is home to many different plant and wildlife species.

Prince George MLA Shirley Bond says in a release that the 1,000-year-old trees are “historical natural wonders” with trunks measuring up to 16 metres around.

The province is also planning to work with the federal government to have the area considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on the outstanding value of the ancient trees.

Pops for Parks movement comes to Saanich

Mar 7 2016/in News Coverage

A proposal to save the environment using unclaimed bottle deposits may soon be endorsed by Saanich council.

On Monday, Saanich council is set to consider endorsing a proposal, prepared by the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre for the Ancient Forest Alliance, that would turn over unclaimed bottle deposits to the BC government for a land acquisition fund to create and maintain green spaces. The local conservation group is pushing for the resolution to be submitted to the AVICC and UBCM, and later to the provincial government.

“Upon the purchase of a beverage, BC customers pay a deposit on the container, which is refunded when the container is returned,” reads a report prepared by Coun. Fred Haynes. “If the container is not returned, the deposit remains with the beverage industry.

“‘Pop for Parks’ proposes the redirection of unredeemed container deposits to an important cause: the acquisition and protection of ecologically sensitive private lands in BC.”

Ken Wu, executive director of the alliance, said states such as New York and Michigan have enacted similar legislation because unclaimed deposits are seen as windfall profits that should belong to the state and used for public benefit.

“They basically take the unredeemed bottle deposits and file them into land acquisition for conservation,” said Wu. “It comes out to about $10 to $15 million per year. It wouldn’t increase anyone’s taxes because this is already a pot of money that, right now, is going to the beverage container industry.

“They’re floating around on the streets and polluting the environment, so it makes sense to take the proceeds and better the environment through protecting green spaces.”

The District of Highlands has already endorsed the proposal, with other local municipalities expected to follow suit.

While the CRD already has a land acquisition fund of its own, Wu said it’s time the BC government chipped in to help create and protect more environmental areas.

“The park acquisition fund through the CRD is highly successful – it’s already helped to purchase about 4,500 hectares and raised about $35 million since it was implemented in 2000,” said Wu. “We want a provincial equivalent – the province has got to do its part as well.”

[Saanich News article no longer available.]