The B.C. government has established 6,482 old growth management areas (OGMAs) under the Oil and Gas Activities Act.

Effective May 1, 2016, the kokanee sport fishery on the upper west arm of Kootenay Lake will be catch and release only for the remainder of the fishing season.

Effective April 25, 2016, the Province has launched a new online portal that makes it easy for hunters to access a range of e-services, including hunting licences and applications for limited entry hunting (LEH) draws.

The B.C. government is distributing over $1.7 million in new grants to help control the spread of invasive plants in the province.

Increased fines for a variety of wildfire-related violation tickets came into force. Anyone caught contravening specified open burning and campfire regulations could now face fines more than three times higher than last year’s penalties.

Members of the Province’s Rural Advisory Council were reappointed for another two years by Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson and Parliamentary Secretary Donna Barnett.

The new allowable annual cut for the Merritt Timber Supply Area will be 1.5 million cubic metres, effective immediately, and will decrease to 1.2 million cubic metres on March 24, 2021.

Legislative amendments introduced will increase fibre supply for forest product manufacturers and enable wildlife-related licensing and permitting activities to be moved online.

The Province will strengthen its current moose management strategy as the initial phase in examining how to modernize aspects of wildlife management, such as licensing, inventory, research and increased engagement in wildlife management decisions.