B.C. Budget needs to address watershed health and security
Victoria, B.C./Lekwungen Traditional Territory – B.C. Budget 2024 needs to address the unfolding crisis of watershed security in this province. Watershed Watch Salmon Society hopes to see in this pre-election budget a commitment to addressing the root causes of the crises that have become the norm in British Columbia.
We have experienced in recent years unprecedented wildfires, floods, and drought. Our communities and our environment—which includes the habitats of our already depleted wild salmon—are being ravaged year after year. Our health, our economy, and our future depends on breaking this vicious cycle.
We will be looking in Thursday’s budget for:
- A significant contribution to boost the new B.C. Watershed Security Fund. The B.C. Watershed Security Coalition is advocating for $1 billion from the provincial and federal governments – a realistic amount for providing project funding for real-world improvements to watershed infrastructure and rehabilitation
- Long-term funding for and a clear path to delivery of a robust, action-oriented B.C. Watershed Strategy this fiscal year, including the appointment of a B.C. Watershed Security Officer.
- Dedicated, multi-year funding for the B.C. Flood Strategy
- Funding for enforcement of the new B.C. Water Sustainability Act, including a dedicated enforcement and prosecutions office
- Significant funding for watershed and salmon restoration and rehabilitation, along with a clear commitment to use all tools in the provincial arsenal to ensure the federal government meets its promise to remove all open net-pen salmon farms from B.C. coastal waters
“We need to climate-proof our watersheds, for the sake of our fish and wildlife, and for our own safety and security. Bolstering our natural defences against flooding, drought and wildfire will take a massive, wartime-scale mobilization of resources, and we are hoping to see that in today’s budget.”
Contact:
Aaron Hill, Executive Director
Dene Moore, Communications
604-262-1963 ext. 110
About us:
Watershed Watch Salmon Society is a science-based, non-profit organization working to defend and rebuild B.C.’s wild salmon and their habitats.
B.C. Budget needs to address watershed health and security
Victoria, B.C./Lekwungen Traditional Territory – B.C. Budget 2024 needs to address the unfolding crisis of watershed security in this province. Watershed Watch Salmon Society hopes to see in this pre-election budget a commitment to addressing the root causes of the crises that have become the norm in British Columbia.
We have experienced in recent years unprecedented wildfires, floods, and drought. Our communities and our environment—which includes the habitats of our already depleted wild salmon—are being ravaged year after year. Our health, our economy, and our future depends on breaking this vicious cycle.
We will be looking in Thursday’s budget for:
- A significant contribution to boost the new B.C. Watershed Security Fund. The B.C. Watershed Security Coalition is advocating for $1 billion from the provincial and federal governments – a realistic amount for providing project funding for real-world improvements to watershed infrastructure and rehabilitation
- Long-term funding for and a clear path to delivery of a robust, action-oriented B.C. Watershed Strategy this fiscal year, including the appointment of a B.C. Watershed Security Officer.
- Dedicated, multi-year funding for the B.C. Flood Strategy
- Funding for enforcement of the new B.C. Water Sustainability Act, including a dedicated enforcement and prosecutions office
- Significant funding for watershed and salmon restoration and rehabilitation, along with a clear commitment to use all tools in the provincial arsenal to ensure the federal government meets its promise to remove all open net-pen salmon farms from B.C. coastal waters
“We need to climate-proof our watersheds, for the sake of our fish and wildlife, and for our own safety and security. Bolstering our natural defences against flooding, drought and wildfire will take a massive, wartime-scale mobilization of resources, and we are hoping to see that in today’s budget.”
Contact:
Aaron Hill, Executive Director
Dene Moore, Communications
604-262-1963 ext. 110
About us:
Watershed Watch Salmon Society is a science-based, non-profit organization working to defend and rebuild B.C.’s wild salmon and their habitats.