Select Standing Committee
on Finance
and Government Services
Government of BC
Minister of Finance
Selina
Robinson
Government of BC
To the Honourable Selina Robinson and the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, For millennia, people have relied on the diverse and productive coastal ecosystems of what is now known as British Columbia, to provide food, materials, culture, and identity. These marine and coastal waters are home to kelp forests, vast beds of eelgrass, schools of fish, and large mammals like humpback whales and killer whales. That’s why I find it so hard to believe that BC is one of the only coastal jurisdictions in North America without a united plan and law to protect it. There is no overarching strategy set out by the BC government to ensure future generations will have a thriving, resilient, and sustainable coast. And without a permanent home within the BC government for coastal marine management, our coast will continue to be at risk. Coastal communities and ecosystems are facing a wide range of challenges right now including: • climate change impacts such as sea-level rise, flooding, and ocean acidification • catastrophic declines in salmon and loss of coastal habitat, and • local economies that are struggling. In November 2020, the government committed in five cabinet mandate letters to “developing a new provincial coastal marine strategy – in partnership with First Nations and federal and local governments – to better protect coastal habitat while growing coastal economies”. This is the opportunity to truly revamp coastal marine management to: • ensure sustainable ecosystem-based management of coastal and marine areas • implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the management of coastal and marine areas. • ensure coastal communities have resilient, sustainable local economies so that those who rely on the coast for their livelihood will be able to do so for generations to come. And this brings me to my ask. Will the BC government ensure that sufficient funds in the 2022 Budget are allocated: • to develop and implement the strategy, • to ensure that Indigenous nations have the capacity to partner in the process, • to provide opportunities for coastal communities and stakeholders to provide input? Funding is needed in this upcoming budget so that the coastal marine strategy can be developed during this mandate and its implementation can begin. Coastal communities and ecosystems are an integral part of BC and British Columbian’s identity. Ocean-based activities employ over 170,000 British Columbians and contribute $17B annually to the BC economy (G.S. Gislason and Associates. 2007). A strong BC coastal marine strategy will ensure they have a prosperous future. Thank you for accepting input from people across BC. I look forward to seeing a provincial budget that ensures the coastal marine strategy will be developed and implemented. Sincerely, {user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
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