10 YEAR BACKLOG CLEARED ­ ECONOMIC ACTIVITY INCREASES

VICTORIA - The Province has now eliminated the backlog of almost 2,500 water applications in B.C., helping contribute to $125.2 million in sales and tenure management activity, a $46.4 million increase over the previous fiscal year, announced George Abbott, minister responsible for Land and Water British Columbia Inc (LWBC).

"The elimination of the water application backlog meets a commitment government made in 2002 to aggressively process the large number of applications it inherited from the previous administration," said Abbott. "The steps we've taken to cut red tape and reduce bureaucratic delays are clearly working and contributing to new opportunities and jobs across the province. This has especially helped the tourism industry with new resorts and opportunities. We believe that with the elimination of the water application backlog we will see even more opportunities in the future."

In the 2002/03 fiscal year the Province eliminated a long-standing backlog of over 1,500 Crown land applications that was estimated to be costing British Columbia over $1 billion in lost jobs and investments. At that time government committed to streamline the water application approval process to a 140-calendar day maximum evaluation period and eliminate the 10-year backlog of water applications.

Some examples of benefits of new water licences to the B.C. economy include:

* A water licence issued for irrigation in the Lower Mainland will open up 55 acres of new land for agriculture with an investment of $160,000.

* Two water licences issued to the Fraser Valley Regional District for industrial purposes will mean a $900,000 investment and 400 person-days of employment.

* A water licence granted to Big White Ski Resort will allow use of stored water from Trapping Creek to enable further residential development at the resort and additional snow-making facilities for ski runs.

* The Westbank First Nation was granted a waterworks licence on Okanagan Lake which will allow development of more than 8,000 new homes and the associated construction jobs.

* A mineral water-bottling company has secured new surface water rights that will help expand and compliment their groundwater operation and will employ members of the Nazko Indian Band.

* The new Bear Mountain Resort Village on Vancouver Island was granted water licences to enable a $100 million investment in residential development and the construction of a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course ­ the largest resort development in B.C. today.

"While we want to encourage new investment, issuing water licences to facilitate that investment must also be compatible with the provincewide water management strategy," said Abbott. "Close to a third of the applications were refused because there was insufficient water to support the proposed use. We will only grant a new water licence after a comprehensive environmental and technical review that can demonstrate that the water use is sustainable."

LWBC has also completed 97 major land sales, an increase of eight per cent over the previous year. This represents $395 million in new capital investment, 5,782 person years of construction employment, and 1,684 years of on-going employment.

LWBC, a Crown corporation, is responsible for managing two of the province's most valuable assets, Crown land and water resources. These assets account for more than 94 per cent of the provincial land base and the associated water resources and offer significant opportunities to contribute to the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of British Columbians.

 

To view LWBC's Year in Review report visit: http://lwbc.bc.ca/05media/reports/index.html

 

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Contact:

Lynne Kailan
Communications Manager
Land and Water B.C.
250 356-9215