Land Act changes deferred

The BC government has deferred plans to amend the Land Act, which governs management of Crown lands in the province.

“Our government has decided not to proceed with proposed amendments to the Land Act,” Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Nathan Cullen announced February 21.

“That’s the best news story we have heard all year,” says Brian Thomas, president of the BC Cattlemen’s Association.

Cullen attributes the decision to the feedback he’s received on the government’s plans.

Without any prior discussion, engagement, or an intentions paper, WLRS began contacting more than 26 Crown land user groups in mid-January regarding plans to amend how Crown land is administered in the province but gave very few details as to what that would look like.

Not surprisingly, people responded.

“Over the last several weeks I have had the opportunity to discuss proposed amendments to the Land Act with over 650 representatives of stakeholder groups,” Cullen says in a news release.

But the complete lack of details regarding the plans led people to speculate.

“In conversations with these groups, many were surprised to learn that the claims being made about the proposed legislation by some were not true and that there would be no impacts to tenures, renewals, private properties, or access to Crown land,” Cullen says.

Cullen notes that the government’s focus on reconciliation was not the focus of  the pushback, which was generally supported.

“Throughout these conversations the vast majority have told us that they want reconciliation to work, and they want to be partners in this work,” he says.

But the government realized its lack of information and a short timeline that called for legislation to be introduced in the closing weeks of the spring session of the legislature was backfiring.

“I’ve also heard that we need to take the time to further engage with people and demonstrate the real benefits of shared decision-making in action. We want to get this right and move forward together,” Cullen says in the release.

“I do have to give Cullen kudos,” Thomas says. “When he phoned me on Wednesday to tell me of the decision, he pointed out that this was proof that the government was listening.”

There is no end date for the ongoing consultations or the introduction of the proposed amendments, which will be the decision of whoever forms the next government following this year’s provincial election, which must happen no later than October 19.