Katrine Conroy

The B.C. government’s changes to a law that prevented First Nations from acquiring land have come into effect, meaning nations can now directly buy and own land in the province. Previously, First Nations needed to form a proxy, like a corporation or a trust, to buy land. The legislation, which was introduced in April, came into effect on Tuesday. The changes have no legal impact on other landowners — just federally recognized First Nations.  “To be honest, it is a huge relief.” said Hugh Braker, a political executive for the First Nations Summit of British Columbia and a member of the Tseshaht First Nation. “It gets rid of a rather racist relic from colonial times.” In a statement emailed to CBC News, Finance Minister Katrine Conroy said the changes to the Property Law Act and the Land Title Act are “a step on the path towards reconciliation.”

səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Territories (Vancouver, BC) – Yesterday the Province released its Old Growth Action Plan. The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and Stand.earth are calling on Premier David Eby to immediately issue emergency logging bans in the most at-risk old growth forests, and to align all sectors with the Old Growth Strategic Review. “The release of the Old Growth Action Plan is a welcome step and we are pleased that this government shares our concern for old growth trees. The Action Plan’s delivery after over four years of increasing temperatures and climate emergency impacts must be accompanied with significant investment and priority in order to protect the forest that is critically essential to sustaining the old growth trees we hold so dear. We must take immediate steps to stop the logging of at-risk old growth on the ground,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.

The Wilderness Committee says the province’s latest plan for old-growth forests is underwhelming and lacking in any new interim measures to protect the most endangered old-growth forests. The environmental group says the new plan, called From Review to Action, continues to focus on previously announced measures and is “classic 1990’s-style ‘talk-and-log.” It says the government continues talking about how to implement commitments on old growth forests while withholding adequate protections for the most threatened stands. …The group also says the document delays the release of the final Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework, a policy recommended in the old growth review and meant to prioritize wildlife and their habitat over resource extraction. Joe Foy with the Wilderness Committee says too much old growth has already been logged, and “many species, including the spotted owl, have disappeared from much of their former range.”

Carson Binda

Parks Canada will spend about $12 million on a plan to kill invasive deer and restore native vegetation on Sidney Island (beside the Saanich Peninsula in BC), according to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. That’s more than double the cost that has been widely reported for the controversial project on the small Gulf Island. “It’s appalling that Parks Canada blew $12 million on a project that local hunters have been doing for free,” the federation’s B.C. director, Carson Binda, said on Wednesday at a news conference in front of the B.C. legislature. …Parks Canada’s forecast spending of $11.988 million on the restoration of Sidney Island is spread over eight years, according to its Fur to Forest budget… Including $2.8 million in salaries and benefits to Parks Canada staff, $1.5 million in studies, $800,000 for Indigenous participation, $53,000 for forest restoration services and plants and trees — and $4.1 million in deer-eradication services. 

Ed Wood

Harrison Hot Springs declared a local state of emergency over the threat of wildfire on Tuesday, and rescinded it the following day. Mayor Ed Wood issued a notice about the measure on Tuesday, saying it was needed “due to the significant threat of an interface fire and imminent threat to the loss of life and property.” The order was rescinded on Wednesday following a request from B.C.’s Ministry of Emergency Management. Wood had told CBC News on Wednesday that the nearest current wildfire was around 18 kilometres away. …A statement from the Emergency Management Ministry on Wednesday said that officials were in direct contact with the village to determine the reasons for the emergency declaration, and “to ensure a shared understanding of the appropriate use of such declarations.” …Council in Harrison Hot Springs has been wracked by infighting and disagreement since Wood was elected in 2022, hampering its ability to function and govern the village.

Land One, a first-year cohort program at UBC, has won the D2L (Desire 2 Learn) Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning in recognition of its transformative approach to student-centred learning. The program launched in 2018 supported by the Faculties of Land and Food Systems and Forestry offers integrated first-year courses in a supportive environment as students adjust to university academics, as well as several opportunities for personal development, such as learning about different worldviews and participating in field trips. “By fostering a holistic understanding and providing practical skills, Land One empowers students to contribute meaningfully to sustainable solutions,” says Dr. Fernanda Tomaselli, program coordinator in the Department of Forest Resources Management. Central to Land One is inclusive pedagogy and decolonizing education, integrating diverse ways of knowing such as Indigenous perspectives and worldviews. Students speak of the transformative impact of this approach, with many expressing a newfound interest and appreciation for Indigenous knowledge.

Wildsight, a local environmental activist group, said B.C.’s newly unveiled Old Growth Action Plan is a welcomed change, but urgent action is still needed. The Provincial Government outlined the next steps toward better forest care and job security for B.C.’s forest sector. This will include the following: establishing the $1-billion Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation (the Nature Agreement); Ensuring forestry communities get more local jobs, including boosts to made-in-B.C. wood manufacturing; and Improvements to mapping, data and knowledge sharing. “Additionally, through Forest Landscape Plans (FLPs) the Province is ensuring local values drive decisions on the landbase, including those related to forest resilience, wildfire prevention, economic development and community well-being,” said B.C. officials. They note that nine FLPs are in development with more to come later. …Wildsight feels B.C.’s current logging regulations, particularly regarding old-growth, are unsustainable and will ultimately lead to further harm to the environment and humans.