James Steidle

To: BC Provincial Government: I suspect the majority of your letters will be about old-growth conifer, and yes, protecting old-growth conifer is important. But it is important we do not lose sight of the critical role the younger (and older) deciduous forests in this province … play in biodiversity. They play a massive role in this. If all we have is old-growth conifer and managed conifer plantations, a vast array of biodiversity will be absent from our forests. I run a group on facebook called Stop the Spray BC. We also have a website and have spearheaded a petition with over 137,000 signatures. …The point of this group is to educate the public about the biodiversity values of deciduous broadleaf forests, along with other critical values, which are so often forgotten about due to cultural, commercial, and educational biases.

The Province hopes to be able to negotiate agreements with Indigenous governments and begin sharing decision-making on public land use in the late spring of 2024. The 2019 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) is the provincial framework for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. DRIPA provides flexibility for the Province to enter into agreements with Indigenous governments to share decision-making on the use of public land together. However, amendments to pre-existing legislation (like the Land Act) are required to make this happen. …The Declaration Act aims to create a path forward that respects the human rights of Indigenous Peoples while providing better transparency and predictability related to the work we do together. The Province wants to know your thoughts on sharing public land use decision-making. This information will help ensure the path forward is informed by a range of perspectives and solutions. Engagement is open until March 31, 2024

John Rustad

PRINCE GEORGE – The Conservative Party of BC says it’s time to repeal the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). …He also opposes the provincial government’s sweeping changes to BC’s Land Act, which he calls an assault on private property rights and our shared rights to use crown land. …“It is an assault on your private property rights and our shared rights to use Crown Land,” says Rustad. “To achieve true reconciliation, BC must first be brave enough to come forward and address the issue of returning land to First Nations, who do not currently have sufficient property rights needed to secure prosperity. …“It is clear that this cannot mean returning all traditional lands; returning lands needs to be based on economic reconciliation, which is not about transferring potential from one group to another — but rather adding potential for all British Columbians.

There are still dozens of active wildfires in northeast B.C., linked to last year’s brutal season that saw the Prince George region account for 80 per cent of the province’s burned land. According to the B.C. Wildfire Service’s wildfire map, there are 87 wildfires active in the Prince George region, an unusually high number. There is just one active wildfire in the province’s five other regions. Prince George Fire Centre spokesperson Sharon Nickel said that holdover fires were more likely to occur when a very large area had burned and when drought conditions were persistent and/or severe. …“As there are still areas that are under snow cover and areas where the fire has likely travelled underground, we cannot call additional fires “out” or confirm where (or if) there are active hot spots.” …Nickel said there was a continuing drought in the region and a low snowpack.

As we move closer to spring, it’s important to remember that wildfire resilience begins with proactive preparation. It’s the actions we take now—before wildfire season—that make a world of difference. To help residents with their preparation, we updated our Home Partners Hub and released a case study about the program to show what it looks like in action. These resources make it easier than ever to learn more about the program, schedule an assessment, and start your wildfire resilience journey. The FireSmart BC Home Partners Program (HPP) was designed to engage residents in voluntary wildfire mitigation activities by offering a professional home assessment with property-specific recommendations.