Feedback is being sought to increase the public’s awareness about activities taking place in BC Parks.

The goal of the Public Notification and Engagement Policy is to better inform the public about park use permits and the status of applications. It will also set out how the public is notified when a permit will be issued, and when public input is being sought, a March 23 Ministry of Environment press release explained.

Currently, local newspaper advertisements are the only means of public notification about permits required for commercial use that take place in parks and protected areas.

As part of the new policy, all types of permit applications and subsequent decisions will be posted online, similar to the current park boundary adjustment proposal process.

The intent is to ensure transparency on decisions to authorize activities within parks, and increase awareness of permitted activities within parks by reaching a much larger audience.

“We welcome public feedback on this new policy so we can further reach out to British Columbians who are passionate about our parks. This policy reinforces our commitment to transparency by reaching more people with up-to-date information on permits within our provincial parks,” stated Mary Polak, Minister of Environment.

By law, a permit is required for many types of commercial recreation , land use, and research activities that take place in parks and protected areas

Research activities in parks and protected areas include collection, monitoring, survey and inventory, and other research.

The province is now looking for input from outdoor enthusiasts, First Nations, stakeholders and park users to further develop this new policy.

The draft policy will be posted on the BC Parks website for 90 days until June 22, and people are encouraged to review the policy and provide feedback.

BC Parks will review all input received when drafting the final policy, which is expected in fall 2016.

To view the policy and provide comments.

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