Provincial Government's public land management plans pop up on media and BC United Opposition's radar

Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen, 
Minister of 
Water, Land and
Resource Stewardship

The plan by the province of British Columbia to negotiate agreements with Indigenous governments on decision making towards public land use is getting some additional attention this week.  

That after the initiative was quietly introduced earlier this month by Nathan Cullen, the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.

The shift towards a shared approach, follows the BC NDP government's commitment towards the principles of UNDRIP adopted previous by province.  

Though as Vaughn Palmer the Vancouver Sun's top political commentator observed Friday,  the initiative is not one that was announced through a news release, but rather by way of a listing on engagement platform a portal that few British Columbians likely know much about.

One of the many observations from the highly acclaimed journalist was that the government probably wants to see the initiative move forward without too much in the way of public attention.

The Vancouver Sun columnist also noted of the accelerated timeline that would see the government's plans in place by the end of the Spring Session ahead, with the Legislation to be in place before the Legislature adjourns in Mid May.

The Minister would seem to have read Mr. Palmer's Friday article, at least it appears that way, that by way of a social media post that he issued on Saturday.

As The Vancouver Sun columnist is one of the most read journalists in the province, it's not surprising that some members of the BC United might have seen the article and the background information outlined towards the NDP initiative. 

And today, BC United Leader Kevin Falcon also took to social media, noting of the Palmer article, as well as a Globe and Mail piece from Justine Hunter from today.

He highlighted the level of oversight that his party plans to make towards the program that is being steered through the Legislature by Minister Cullen.

The added level of scrutiny towards how the NDP Government has introduced the topic, is likely to at least create much more participation in the process than might likely have been found otherwise.

Towards the consultation process, what the Province is looking for from those who choose to participate looks as follows:

You can make your submission by email to:  LandActamendments@gov.bc.ca

The Deadline for participation is 4 PM on March 31st.

Details towards the initiative can be reviewed here. 

A slide show presentation to the plans can be accessed here.

Update: On Monday, Vaughn Palmer added a second piece to his overview of the proposed government proposal, noting of the consequential change that the Land Act changes would bring.

More notes on themes from the Legislature can be reviewed from our archive page.

A wider overview of Legislature themes culled from the media covering provincial politics can be explored through our political portal D'Arcy McGee.