Response to growth management planning in a rural region of British Columbia: a case study of the Cariboo Regional District

The Growth Strategies Statutes Amendment Act of 1995 seemed ready to rejuvenate regional planning in British Columbia through the provision of tools for growth management planning. Yet it has been observed that regions in northern British Columbia seem ambivalent to the new planning tools. Through a case study, this research explores the response of the Cariboo Regional District, as a rural region of northern British Columbia, to the British Columbia style of growth management planning. The primary research question asks: Why is regional growth management planning not being implemented in the Cariboo Regional District? A review of regional districts and regional planning in British Columbia provides context for understanding the approach taken toward growth management planning in British Columbia. A review of literature from the United States then describes the concept of growth management planning and how it has developed over the last thirty years. The evolution of growth management planning programs, from mandatory, coercive systems, to more voluntary and collaborative systems including a softening of the consistency doctrine, is highlighted. The British Columbia growth management planning legislation is then described and set in the context of the experience in the Unites States. Using a case-study methodology in a single-case embedded design, this research focuses on the response of the Cariboo Regional District to growth management planning. Since a regional district includes participation of constituent communities, the response to growth management planning of the municipalities of 100 Mile House, the City of Williams Lake, and the City of Quesnel has also been considered. Interviews of key personnel from the provincial government, the Cariboo Regional District, and the three municipalities provide the core information for this research. A profile of the study area and a review of current community plans in each jurisdiction also contribute to the research. The conclusions identify several key issues at the root of the Cariboo Regional District reluctance to implement growth management planning. The relationship between the municipalities and the Cariboo Regional District is an important issue. The municipalities express a lack of confidence in the Cariboo Regional District to represent their interests and a feeling of futility in being able to influence the governance of the Cariboo Regional District because of their minority voting position. The Cariboo Regional District is frustrated by a perceived lack of commitment by the municipalities to regional planning, as demonstrated by municipalities opting out of the regional district planning function. Other issues include a sense that the growth management planning process is more cumbersome, complex and expensive than it is worth. This comes from a perception that growth in the Cariboo region will continue to be slow (less than 1 %) and that normal community planning processes or ad-hoc solutions to local issues will be sufficient to manage future growth. There is no sense of a threatening, or critical, concern about growth issues on a regional basis and thus no motivation to consider growth management planning. Finally, even the prospects of greater cooperation with the provincial government have not encouraged growth management planning, since there is little confidence that the province has the willingness or resources to participate.