Close X
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. establishes largest provincial park in a decade to protect threatened caribou

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Jun, 2024 11:32 AM
  • B.C. establishes largest provincial park in a decade to protect threatened caribou

A major provincial park expansion will create a protection zone of almost 2,000 square kilometres for caribou and other species in northeastern British Columbia.

The Ministry of Environment says in a statement that the addition to the Klinse-za Park will make it the largest provincial park established in the province in a decade.

The park addition is the result of a partnership in 2020 between the province and the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations, where they agreed to help stabilize and protect the threatened southern mountain caribou.

Klinse-za Park is located just west of Chetwynd, B.C., almost 1,100 kilometres north of Vancouver.

The province says the number of caribou in B.C. fell by more than 55 per cent in the last century, mostly due to human-caused habitat disturbance, and there are fewer than 4,000 of the southern mountain species left.

The expanded park will also protect other at-risk species, such as fishers, bull trout, grizzly and wolverines, as well as sacred cultural sites for Treaty 8 First Nations in the area.

"The teachings were to leave no trace nor impact as you pass through the lands," Chief Roland Willson of West Moberly First Nations said in a statement. "Times have changed and others have come seeking natural resources for economic development: forestry, oil and gas, large-scale hydroelectric, mining, and so on. They leave a much different footprint." 

The federal government has provided $46 million toward compensating industries and tenure holders affected by the park expansion, in addition to another $10 million to boost an economic diversification trust locally.

MORE National ARTICLES

'Dedication to serving Canadians': PM pays tribute to former MP John Godfrey

'Dedication to serving Canadians': PM pays tribute to former MP John Godfrey
The late John Godfrey, a former university president, newspaper editor and Liberal MP, made meaningful and lasting contributions to public life, recalled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Toronto-born Godfrey founded the School of Journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax, was editor of the Financial Post and served as an MP from 1993 to 2008.

'Dedication to serving Canadians': PM pays tribute to former MP John Godfrey

Eby to target predators after talking to dad of sextortion victim Carson Cleland, 12

Eby to target predators after talking to dad of sextortion victim Carson Cleland, 12
Premier David Eby says an emotional conversation with the father of a 12-year-old British Columbia boy who killed himself after falling prey to online sextortion has prompted him to push for more protections for youth. Eby says the New Democrat government plans changes in the new year honouring the memory of Carson Cleland of Prince George, who police said died in October after being victimized online.  

Eby to target predators after talking to dad of sextortion victim Carson Cleland, 12

Choice is between BC United and NDP, says Kevin Falcon, shrugging off Conservatives

Choice is between BC United and NDP, says Kevin Falcon, shrugging off Conservatives
Competition with the B.C. Conservatives, who have two seats in the legislature and are riding high in opinion polls, and the name change to BC United from the BC Liberal Party, will not be major deciding factors in the October 2024 campaign, Falcon said. Vote splitting on the political right has always been an issue in B.C. elections, but the potential threat to BC United from the provincial Conservatives will fizzle when voters realize they are not Pierre Poilievre's federal Conservatives, said Falcon.

Choice is between BC United and NDP, says Kevin Falcon, shrugging off Conservatives

Free transit after 5pm on New Year's Eve

Free transit after 5pm on New Year's Eve
There's a bit of extra incentive to put away your vehicle keys if you are going out on New Year's Eve in Metro Vancouver.  TransLink will again offer free transit across its network in the area. 

Free transit after 5pm on New Year's Eve

Feds announce temporary visas for people in Gaza with Canadian relatives

Feds announce temporary visas for people in Gaza with Canadian relatives
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says people in the Gaza Strip who have Canadian relatives will now be able to apply for temporary visas to Canada, but the federal government cannot guarantee them safe passage out of the besieged Palestinian territory. He expects the program to be up and running by Jan. 9.

Feds announce temporary visas for people in Gaza with Canadian relatives

Vintage gun for teacher's presentation triggers police lockdown at Vancouver school

Vintage gun for teacher's presentation triggers police lockdown at Vancouver school
A prop for a teacher’s presentation at a Vancouver secondary school set off a lockdown and an emergency response by police on Thursday. Police say a teacher at Lord Byng Secondary called 911 to report a man carrying a rifle into the school, and the emergency response team was dispatched and the school locked down while police searched for a suspect.

Vintage gun for teacher's presentation triggers police lockdown at Vancouver school