Making waves with new BC Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship
The first few months of 2022 have been promising for British Columbians who want to see the beautiful and abundant coast of BC protected by a cohesive marine plan and legislation. In February, the BC government took a huge step in delivering on this promise by forming the new Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship, headed up by Minister Josie Osborne.
This is a big deal! It means there will be a single home in the provincial government to address the vital issues that impact the BC coast and its communities — like pollution, loss of salmon habitat and overharvesting. The new Ministry is responsible for managing land and waters with Indigenous nations, as well as advancing environmental sustainability and economic growth.
The new Ministry, along with Indigenous nations and British Columbians up and down the coast, is creating a coastal marine strategy – a united plan to better manage coastal areas. The following is already underway:
- Engagement with Indigenous nations to co-develop the strategy,
- Dialogue sessions with stakeholders to understand interests and identify actions, and
- Drafting of an Intentions Paper which will be released later this year for public comment and feedback.
We are buoyed by the progress! And we’ll be participating in government sessions and reporting back, every step of the way. We’ll be advocating for the health of coastal communities, better legal protections for marine habitats and ecosystems and certainty around planning and development for ocean-related industries.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Photo by Flickr user rosiejuliet.