VICTORIA - The Water, Land and Air Protection Statutes Amendment Act, 2003 was introduced in the legislature today and affects the following statutes:

* Commercial River Rafting Safety Act ­ The act is being repealed because the federal government will regulate the commercial river-rafting industry across the country starting this year. The province's statute will be repealed by regulation in stages to make way for the federal program as it is phased in.

* Drainage and Dyking Adjustment and Repeal Act ­ The act dates from 1965 and is no longer needed. The act authorizes cabinet to issue orders-in-council to repeal local dyking assessment statues that are listed in the schedule. The twelve statutes that remain in force, which date from 1905 to 1962, have become redundant either because they have been superseded by more recent legislation or because they apply to dyking districts that no longer exist.       

* Park Act amendments ­ Amendments will increase the time period for laying charges for offences under the act from six months to two years, streamline unnecessary administrative requirements for issuing park-use permits and provide adequate regulation-making authorities to support the act.

* Park (Regional) Act - This act, which dates from 1965, is being repealed because more current authorities are now available under the Local Government Act and it is no longer necessary. 

* Protected Areas of British Columbia Act amendments ­ Amendments will be made to boundary descriptions for the following areas:

* Inkaneep Park: 0.038 hectares are being deleted from the park to allow the Ministry of Transportation to replace the McAlpine Bridge on Highway 3 near Oliver. The bridge will address local public-safety concerns.

* Omineca Park: Boundary corrections will more accurately reflect the intentions of approved land and resource management plans; about 2,100 hectares are being added to the park as a result of subsequent land-use-plan implementation decisions.

* Pine Le Moray and Tunkwa Parks: Boundary amendments will adjust park boundaries for existing pipelines to be upgraded. The amendments are necessary to provide room along the existing pipeline rights-of-way for the improvements to be made. The changes do not alter the existing route of the pipeline right-of-way.

* Rubyrock Lake Park: About 1.2 hectares are being deleted from the park in order to upgrade failing wastewater facilities at the Yekooche First Nation's reserve adjacent to the park, to protect human health and the environment.

* Satellite Channel Ecological Reserve: Should the National Energy Board approve an application currently before them, this amendment will enable a boundary change to accommodate the construction of a natural gas pipeline to Vancouver Island. An area that encompasses more of the ecological features that the reserve was intended to protect would be added to the reserve to replace any portion deleted, resulting in a net environmental benefit. This amendment will come into force only if all approvals are in place.

* Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park: An error in the existing boundary description is being correctedto more accurately reflect the recommendations of the Cassiar Iskut-Stikine Land and Resource Management Plan.

* Weather Modification Act ­ The act, which dates from 1973, requires that people wanting to use physical or chemical means to change the atmosphere ­ for example, seeding clouds to produce rain ­ must first obtain a permit. The act has only been used once and its repeal eliminates provincial requirements that duplicate federal reporting requirements. 

* West Coast National Park Act ­ The act was passed in 1969 to implement an agreement between Canada and B.C. for the purpose of acquiring lands for a new national park reserve. Pacific Rim National Park has been established and the act is no longer needed.   

* Wildlife Act amendments ­ Amendments to this act will eliminate duplication between provincial and federal firearms licensing and will reduce the administration associated with the seizure of fish and wildlife by providing different approaches for perishable and non-perishable property. The amendments also add a mechanism to enforce creative sentencing orders.

These statutory amendments and repeals are in keeping with the government's goal of maintaining the natural diversity of ecosystems, wildlife species and habitats, as well as providing recreation opportunities. The act eliminates 345 unnecessary regulatory requirements.   

Contact:

Liz Bicknell
Director, Communications
250 387-9973