Tag: Outdoor Recreational Council of BC

Province announces infusion of funding for BC Parks

April 27, 2021

Promises for more campsites, expanded trails, and management—with details on Sea to Sky parks to come 2 days ago By: Alyssa Noel

Screen Shot 2021-04-22 at 3.02.09 PMThe provincial government has earmarked a record amount of funding for BC Parks over the next several years. Details on how that will impact Sea to Sky parks, like Garibaldi Provincial Park, pictured here, have not yet been announced. PHOTO BY ALYSSA NOEL

BC Parks will add two new summer employment opportunities in the Sea to Sky this year. 

A planning intern and an administrative intern will be based at Alice Lake Provincial Park in Squamish for 14 weeks, but “they are supporting parks in the region,” a spokesperson for B.C.’s Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy said in an email. 

In total, $4 million has been set aside for the youth employment program with BC Parks and the BC Conservation Officer Service to fund 83 positions. That includes 37 youth positions with BC Parks and 46 with the Conservation Officer Service. 

The jobs will be spread throughout the province with job posts set to go up in the coming days. 

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), BC Chapter, applauded the additional summer positions. 

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B.C upgrading provincial campsites and parks to boost tourism

April 20, 2021

 Jon Gauthier, staff Sunday, Apr. 18th, 2021 Elk Falls camping. (Feature photo Supplied by Explore BC Parks)

The province is expanding the BC Parks budget to help make provincial park visits more enjoyable than ever.

During the next three years an $83 million increase is on the way for BC Parks, helping build  new campsites, expanded trails and strengthened management of the park system.

“It’s absolutely clear how deeply people care about our provincial parks. The pandemic has brought more people than ever to visit BC Parks so they can safely spend time with family and friends while connecting to nature,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy

 “Investing in our parks helps secure our magnificent natural legacy so more British Columbians can appreciate its beauty. We are also supporting local businesses and the economy by creating employment opportunities through new investments in park infrastructure.”

In response to more demand for camping and out recreation, the money will be heading towards construction of new campgrounds, and more campsites and amenities at existing campgrounds.

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Conservation group calls for multi-million dollar investment in B.C.’s parks

August 17, 2020

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society says B.C. Parks needs additional $60 million for long-term success

Andrea Ross · CBC News · Posted: Aug 16, 2020

A non-profit conservation group is calling on the province to invest an additional $60 million in upgrades, infrastructure, education and staffing to secure a sustainable future for B.C.’s parks.

B.C. Parks saw its budget reduced slightly from $41.7 million to $40.6 million this year. Bruce Passmore, executive director of the B.C. Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, says this budget needs to be boosted drastically if the province expects to keep its wilderness areas pristine for years to come.

B.C. Parks has been “chronically underfunded” for a decade, he said.

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The Long Trail – Picque

June 14, 2020

Women’s-only enduros rose up in the Sea to Sky and are now gaining a foothold across B.C.

THOUGH POP CULTURE and sports alike continue to be a man’s world of archetypal women, mountain bikers in the Sea to Sky are writing their own narratives.

Even as women continue to make up a larger portion of sport’s population, making up a majority of riders in some communities, men continue to be disproportionately represented in co-ed contests. At the 2019 Squamish Enduro, for example, men outnumbered women 199 to 32 across all categories in the full-course event.

However, a surge of new women’s-only events has created an opportunity for riders to participate on their own terms as the Sea to Sky serves as the vanguard of a movement that is starting to spread across the province.

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