“The provincial government did not follow its own procedure document, Management of Crown Lands for Conservation Purposes, which states: “Prior to expiry or cancellation of Land Act conservation reserves/withdrawals by Land Authorizations staff, Conservation staff will be provided with an opportunity to provide a rationale or recommendation to either continue the reserve/withdrawal or allow the expiry of the reserve/withdrawal. Those reserves/withdrawals identified by Conservation staff as no longer required will be cancelled or allowed to expire.”

The cancelled Conservation Lands were designated for fish, wildlife, conservation, recreational use, and as candidate protected areas of substantial size. The provincial government refused to disclose which parcels were cancelled and their rationales – information that should be publicly available – forcing a series of Freedom of Information requests to understand what took place, contrary to open and accountable governance.

“By removing the legal status of these Conservation Lands under the Land Act, the provincial government has effectively gutted a critical component of the Land & Resource Management plans and previous plan agreements,” said Greg Knox, Executive Director of SkeenaWild Conservation Trust.