Laura Jones

The BC government is conducting an intensive series of meetings with industry and outdoor recreation groups this month, in an attempt to assuage concerns about its proposed changes to the law that governs Crown land. The province plans to amend the Land Act in the spring legislative session to pave the way for joint decision-making with Indigenous communities about public land, bringing it into line with the intent of B.C.’s 2019 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). But the little-advertised process with its hasty timeline alarmed stakeholders who rely on Crown tenures, stirring up uncertainty about future access. Minister Nathan Cullen is now leading a “reset” of the consultation process. …One of Mr. Cullen’s meetings drew 90 corporate leaders for a two-hour session, with a follow-up promised. Laura Jones of the Business Council of B.C. said, “I wouldn’t say that all of their questions have been answered.”