Big business is running roughshod
over BC's environment

Dear Paov,

BC’s natural resources have been under attack for too long.

Under BC’s current regulatory system, oversight of industries like logging and mining in BC is done largely by professionals hired by the same private companies they are supposedly overseeing – rather than independent government staff. The corporations call it professional reliance. We call it putting the foxes in charge of the henhouse.

The NDP government is currently reviewing this disastrous situation and the damage to the land and water it has caused. Now is our chance to say no more professional reliance!

We expect this province’s environment and natural resources to be managed both sustainably and in the people’s interest. Most of BC is unceded First Nations territory, so extra care should be taken not to ruin special and sacred areas.

However, under the current environmental review system, the provincial government does not have the authority to ensure decisions are made and permits are granted in the people’s interest. From Shawnigan Lake to the Walbran Valley to Mount Polley, corporations and profits have been prioritized over communities and ecosystems.

It isn’t about the quality of the individual professionals who review industrial projects. It’s about returning the final say on everything from mines to logging plans to road construction to the people who live here - not the owners of a few giant corporations. The professionals doing these reviews should work for the people, not for the corporations that stand to profit from industrial approvals.

We have until Jan. 19 to let the government know how badly change is needed when it comes to so-called professional reliance oversight of beautiful BC.

The BC government should be acting in all our interest, and as such, it should make the decisions, together with First Nations, on industrial permits that enable logging, mining and other potentially damaging projects.

Let’s take back environmental permitting and monitoring from industry!