BC parks open for industrial development

Rocky Point. April 2008.

This blog is not for political commentary. I am also easily annoyed with partisan bickering that I often seen on Facebook, Twitters, and comment sections online. However, it is worth mentioning that the Legislative Assembly of BC has passed a bill that will change how provincial parks will be protected from here on. Bill 4, quietly introduced back in February 2014 has been set to become law today. This significant step will open doors for industry led "research" development that includes "without limitation" the construction, maintenance, and improvement of roads/highways, pipelines, transmission lines, telecommunication project, and prescribed projects in a prescribed class of projects. 

So does this mean? You can search online for more legitimate journalism for legal and scientific insights. I just want to mention that this is a sad day for the residents of BC. BC is world renown for its natural resources; yes, this includes things we can extract and consume but a large part of it is for the value we gain from preserving it. People have always complained about environmental protection in BC; from the controversies surrounded the logging industry since the 60's/70's and now the pipeline. But behind the politics, I have experienced and benefited from the day-to-day hard work of park officials in various BC parks. Since I was a child, I have been informed and inspired by all this work put into preserving our parks by witnessing them first hand along the trails and on the beaches of lakes. This includes anything from young men and women walking trails planting tree-lings to parks rangers working with hikers from all around the world to educate them about the park's fragile environment and the effort that we all must put into preserving them for future generations. Also, seeing some of the efforts that hikers have voluntarily put into help the park authorities is personally a humbling experience for me. The point I want to emphasize is that, it's not just the "hippy" activists that are working for our environment against the "evil" government and corporations. Their view is the collective view of many different groups of people who are both directly/indirectly impacted by the degradation of our environment and also by those who are both vocal/silent about these issues. It seems like the media's coverage of politics makes us forget that the personal is political and that the politics we see on paper is merely the façade over more significant efforts.

Many people will undoubtedly argue that the monetary value we can extract from the environment far outweighs the benefit that the few enjoy in these parks. To that I cannot provide any counter argument that they will ever fully understand. I can only provide voice for myself and myself alone. This is both a burden and a privilege that we, as citizens all possess. So what? Who cares what happens in the government or in our forest? What can you or I do that can change anything? These are some of the most common questions I get from sharing my thoughts with people and I guess it's because we are in the end always merely satisficing with what we are given.