February 10 2003 News Over The Edge Page 4 Cost of pitching tents to rise in B.C. parks Opponents say fees the first step towards privatization By Rhiannon Coppin, The Peak BURNABY, B.C. (CUP) — Provincial park users will be shelling out more to enjoy “super, natural British Columbia.” Overnight fees will be . increased at provincial camp- grounds, while new day-use fees will be introduced in 28 provincial parks in the Lower Mainland and south Vancouver Island. The parking-based day fees in high-use parks such as Golden Ears, Garibaldi, Cypress, and Seymour were just one of the new manage- ment measures introduced by Minister of Water, Land and Air Joyce Murray on Jan. 28. In addition to the day-use fees, Murray announced that camping, hunting and angling fees will be raised this year, and will now be directed back into the parks system coffers instead of into general taxa- tion revenue. The _ goal, claimed Murray, is to “put these services on a sound financial footing.” The new model is based loosely on recommendations put forth by the Recreation Stewardship Panel, a group appointed by the minister to consult with the public, First Nations groups, angling and | hunting asso- ciations, park |. users, and the },. panel’s principles to support its “New Era” commitment to stimulate tourism by allowing private operators to introduce Additionally, the ministry is moving to contract out more of the maintenance work to private companies. Some of the new _ services that may be offered in selected parks | include kayak- private sector. | ing, canoe The panel, rentals, rock whose man- climbing date was | instruction, provincial in guided nature scope, opted || 7 appreciation to —_ consult tours, bird only with f watching, environmen- wildlife view- tal groups ing, snow whose scope shoeing, and was also the provision province- of yurts - circu- wide. The By Stephen Hui, The Peak lar, domed, panel collect- peopte will have to spend more to enjoy the magic of high-use parks, Portable tents - ed 675 sub- such as Garibaldi Provincial Park in camp- missions grounds. from the public during alimit- “enhanced recreation” into a “Since the panel began its ed consultation period last number of the 807 provincial work, fears have been raised year. parks. that parks will be privatized,” The panel recommended that that users should pay for the cost of providing recre- ation opportunities. The B.C. government is using the Graduate Students: Are you interested in an Academic Career? The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Alberta offers more than 110 masteris and 60 doctoral programs and 285 research areas, providing an extensive selection of research-oriented and professional programs. 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Faculty of Graduate Studies And Research 105 Administration Building University of Alberta Edmonton AB, T6G 2M7 Toll-free 1-800-758-7136 Toll-free fax 1-800-803-4132 www.ualberta.ca/gradstudies Increased user fees will go towards paying for an existing maintenance backlog at camp- grounds and trails, which is estimated to cost $40 million. Murray said. “Nothing we are announcing today changes our current system of full pub- lic control of our park, fish and wildlife recreation services NEED MONEY?! eg H&R BLOCK Coming Febuary 24th to UNBC until April 4th H&R Block Tax Services for Students Let us do your taxes while you are in class. No need to take the bus or drive downtown. We offer: I'VE GOT MONEY! 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Barlee hopes the ministry will reinstate park interpretative programs. “It is kind of preposterous that you're going to have to pay to access parks,” she said. Dale Drown of the Guide Outfitters Association said user fees for parks are reason- able and inevitable. “Nobody likes to see fee increases, nobody likes to see user fees,” Drown said. “But you know what? In this day and age in North America, almost every government is looking at some way of trying to tap into fees from those who use the resource.” Murray said that no one is being forced to pay parking fees to access B.C. parks. “If people do not want to pay the parking fee at the 28 parks,” Murray said, “they always have the option of tak- ing other forms of transporta- tion or going to another park.” Murray hinted that the pre- vious NDP government was responsible for the current gap in funding. Though the size of B.C. parks doubled to 11.35 million hectares under the NDP in the 1990s, Murray said, “The previous adminis- tration had no plan for manag- ing this expanded system.