Vancouver Island will soon benefit from more than 76,000 hectares of new conservation areas in Clayoquot Sound.

The Province is securing a better future for B.C.’s forests and communities by taking better care of more old-growth forests, supporting local jobs and building a more sustainable and resilient forestry industry.

Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, has issued the following statement about proposed amendments to the Land Act:

The Province of B.C. and McLeod Lake Indian Band have reached new agreements outlining how co-management and stewardship of the land and natural resources in the Nation’s territory will evolve.

B.C. communities can look forward to high-quality data to support effective and informed decision-making on the planning and management of wildfires, landslides, floods and other natural events.

The Province and four Treaty 8 First Nations – Fort Nelson, Saulteau, Halfway River and Doig River First Nations – have reached consensus on a collaborative approach to land and resource planning, and to advance regional solutions to benefit everyone living in northeastern B.C. and Treaty 8 territory.

Representatives of Gitanyow First Nation, including Hereditary Chiefs, and the B.C. government are celebrating 10 years of a landmark land-use plan that has reduced land-based conflicts and guided sustainable development in Gitanyow’s territory.

Premier John Horgan has appointed Josie Osborne as Minister of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship and Minister Responsible for Fisheries, and Nathan Cullen as Minister of Municipal Affairs. Premier Horgan has also named MLA Doug Routley as Parliamentary Secretary for Forests to support the important work of Minister Katrine Conroy to modernize forestry in British Columbia.