Vote Wild Salmon: Your guide for the 2024 B.C. election
October 16, 2024
By: Meghan Rooney
We’re three days out from Election Day in B.C. and the three major parties have now all released their platforms. Below is a summary of the asks we’ve called on the parties to commit to in order to safeguard B.C. wild salmon and watersheds, and what the parties actually committed to relative to our asks.
You can read the full platforms here:
Conservative | Green | NDP
For more information on where the parties stand on climate, mining, forestry and other environmental issues, and for other election resources, check out Vote Environment and Vote Mate.
AND GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!!
Aquaculture
Our ask: Defend B.C.’s wild salmon from deadly viruses and parasites by supporting the federal ban on open net-pen salmon farms in our coastal waters.
CONSERVATIVE
– Support B.C.’s aquaculture sector which provides an important source of food and economic development in rural B.C.
GREEN
– Transition all open net-pen salmon farms in B.C. to land-based aquaculture systems.
NDP
– No mention of aquaculture or open net-pen fish farms.
Water and Watersheds
Our ask: Defend and restore habitat and ensure adequate streamflows for fish by:
-
Climate-proofing B.C.’s watersheds by working with the federal government to fully fund the B.C. Watershed Security Fund with a $1-billion endowment to bolster our natural defences against flood, fire and drought;
-
Getting tough on water wasters and polluters by fully implementing the B.C. Water Sustainability Act, including regulation of commercial groundwater use;
-
Supporting the rapid creation of local water boards that allow local governments and First Nations to collaboratively manage and conserve their local water sources;
-
Appointing an independent B.C. Watershed Security Officer.
CONSERVATIVE
– Maintain B.C.’s high environmental and safety standards: No compromises, no shortcuts, no excuses.
– Plan for water sustainability in partnership with farmers and ranchers to balance the water needs of food producers and local communities. These plans should include climate resilience measures and protections to sustain food production during droughts or floods.
– Comprehensively research and monitor the state of B.C.’s water supply by measures including a research chair to conduct ongoing study into the state of water reserves and availability in B.C. for people, agriculture, and wildlife.
– To create healthier habitats, stop all aerial spraying of glyphosate.
GREEN
– Provide $75 million annually to the B.C. Watershed Security Fund to ensure sustainable, long-term investment in watershed management.
– Create and support watershed boards in every community. These boards will be granted authority over decisions that affect watershed security and will serve as collaborative platforms where First Nations and local stakeholders – farmers, industry representatives, commercial users, and environmental stewards – can collaboratively manage and conserve their local water sources.
– Commit $100 million to fund the establishment and ongoing support of watershed boards across the province, ensuring their sustainability and effectiveness.
– Streamline the Water Sustainability Act
- Set clear environmental and critical flow thresholds to safeguard water ecosystems and ensure sustainable water use across the province.
- Safeguard drinking water sources by implementing stronger protections and monitoring to prevent contamination and overuse.
- Require industries to accurately report their water use and provide state-of-the-watershed reporting, improving transparency and resource management.
- Grant an amnesty to farmers and long-standing water users who missed previous deadlines, allowing them to apply for water licenses before new users.
- Update the “first-in-time, first-in-right” principle to reflect modern realities, ensuring allocations are adaptable and durable.
- Empower local watershed boards to have a role in critical water-use decisions.
- Improve the Ministry of Environment’s ability to administer penalties, enhancing compliance with water use regulations and protecting water resources.
– Stop clearcut industrial logging and adopt logging practices that emulate natural disturbance regimes, such as selective logging, commercial thinning, and longer stand rotations.
– Ban the use of glyphosate and other chemical herbicides.
– Improve silviculture practices.
– Amend the Private Managed Forest Land Act to ensure basic ecological and cultural protections on private land.
NDP
– Making sure B.C. communities have secure sources of clean water for the future by putting land use and watershed planning in the hands of local communities, farmers and businesses, in partnership with First Nations, and supporting those communities to identify and prioritize local water use
– Requiring that industry – not taxpayers – pay for the costs of clean up.
– Protecting communities and local watersheds by phasing out the use of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly, RoundUp) in B.C. forests.
Watershed Security Pledge
160 of 323 candidates have signed the Watershed Security Coalition Pledge. To date, 9 Conservatives, 62 Greens, 68 NDP and 21 candidates that are either independent or belong to other parties have signed. See if your candidates have signed the pledge.
Fish Friendly Flood Mitigation
Our ask: Safeguard floodplain communities and farmlands while restoring thousands of kilometres of salmon habitat blocked by obsolete flood control structures. This can be done by working with local governments, First Nations, farmers and conservation groups and by:
-
Funding and implementing the B.C. Flood Strategy by 2025.
-
Bringing the BC Flood Strategy to life in high-risk, flood-prone areas like the Lower Mainland with an allocation of $6 million for local collaborations that can tackle flood risks.
-
Ensuring new flood control projects improve salmon habitat, rather than degrade it.
CONSERVATIVE
– Renew B.C.’s flood mitigation infrastructure so the 2021 floods cannot happen again. We will establish permanent flood protection in high-risk agricultural areas like the Sumas Prairie, safeguarding our farmland, infrastructure, and supply chains.
GREEN
– Fund and implement the B.C. Flood Strategy by 2027 to protect floodplain communities and agricultural land from climate-related flooding risks.
– Shift from reactive disaster response to proactive resilience building and climate action, including habitat restoration and biodiversity protection.
– Utilize nature-based solutions to protect and conserve ecosystems while augmenting natural assets with green infrastructure.
NDP
– Advancing work on flood prevention in the Sumas Prairie through integrating flood mitigation infrastructure with our Highway 1 expansion.
Fisheries
Our ask: Get more salmon into B.C. rivers by:
-
Confronting unsustainable Alaskan fisheries that intercept B.C.-bound salmon and steelhead and pushing for a strengthened Canada/US salmon treaty. B.C. can help bring Alaska to the table with new land and water protections in our shared transboundary rivers.
-
Supporting selective fishing projects that bring economic fishing benefits to communities while minimizing impacts on endangered salmon and steelhead by working with the federal government to establish funding.
-
Stopping misguided support for new artificial production hatcheries and hatchery-dependent fisheries that undermine our wild salmon runs.
-
Modernizing the province’s management of recreational steelhead fisheries.
CONSERVATIVE
– Transparency and Inclusivity: We will ensure Indigenous peoples and stakeholders — hunters, fishers, recreationists, and conservationists — are not just “at the table,” but actively shaping B.C.’s wildlife management practices.
– Recognize hunters and fishers as key partners in conservation efforts. The NDP has ignored their expertise and mismanaged the quota system.
– Nothing specific to commercial or recreational fisheries, hatcheries, or steelhead management.
GREEN
– Nothing specific to commercial or recreational fisheries, hatcheries, or steelhead management.
NDP
– Nothing specific to commercial or recreational fisheries, hatcheries, or steelhead management.
Biodiversity
Our ask: Strengthen and implement laws and regulations that safeguard the health of our wild salmon and steelhead by:
-
Passing and implementing a strong B.C. biodiversity law;
-
Collaborating with the federal government and First Nations to create and implement rebuilding plans for endangered salmon and steelhead populations.
CONSERVATIVE
– Protect B.C.’s biodiversity by clearly designating the areas of our forests that will be prioritized for ecology and biodiversity, forever.
– Define the land area that will be prioritized for meeting biodiversity goals, where sourcing forest products will be of secondary value.
– Conservatives will introduce made-in-B.C. Species at Risk legislation so wildlife protections are shaped by B.C.-based experts – not Ottawa – and are reflective of our unique ecosystems.
GREEN
– Immediately enact Species at Risk legislation to safeguard vulnerable species.
– Allocate $120 million to fish and wildlife programs over three years.
– Achieve 30% land and water protection by 2030, in consultation with First Nations.
– Establish a Chief Ecologist as a counterpart to the Chief Forester to ensure multiple values are adequately incorporated into timber supply analysis and other decision-making
– Zone B.C.’s forests into three broad categories: 1. Primary forests 2. Restoration in secondary forests 3. Second-growth forests managed for timber production
NDP
– Expanding our investment in salmon restoration to more projects that are restoring estuaries, inter-tidal zones, and critical salmon spawning habitats.
– Meet our shared commitment to protecting 30% of B.C.’s land and water by 2030.
– Driving a made-in-B.C. strategy to protect B.C.’s biodiversity and ecological integrity.
Note: As a non-partisan organization, Watershed Watch does not endorse or oppose any electoral candidate or party. We have done our best to provide the most objective information possible about where the various parties and candidates stand on the issues we are focused on for wild salmon conservation. It’s up to you to decide who you vote for.
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Vote Wild Salmon: Your guide for the 2024 B.C. election
October 16, 2024
By: Meghan Rooney
We’re three days out from Election Day in B.C. and the three major parties have now all released their platforms. Below is a summary of the asks we’ve called on the parties to commit to in order to safeguard B.C. wild salmon and watersheds, and what the parties actually committed to relative to our asks.
You can read the full platforms here:
Conservative | Green | NDP
For more information on where the parties stand on climate, mining, forestry and other environmental issues, and for other election resources, check out Vote Environment and Vote Mate.
AND GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!!
Aquaculture
Our ask: Defend B.C.’s wild salmon from deadly viruses and parasites by supporting the federal ban on open net-pen salmon farms in our coastal waters.
CONSERVATIVE
– Support B.C.’s aquaculture sector which provides an important source of food and economic development in rural B.C.
GREEN
– Transition all open net-pen salmon farms in B.C. to land-based aquaculture systems.
NDP
– No mention of aquaculture or open net-pen fish farms.
Water and Watersheds
Our ask: Defend and restore habitat and ensure adequate streamflows for fish by:
-
Climate-proofing B.C.’s watersheds by working with the federal government to fully fund the B.C. Watershed Security Fund with a $1-billion endowment to bolster our natural defences against flood, fire and drought;
-
Getting tough on water wasters and polluters by fully implementing the B.C. Water Sustainability Act, including regulation of commercial groundwater use;
-
Supporting the rapid creation of local water boards that allow local governments and First Nations to collaboratively manage and conserve their local water sources;
-
Appointing an independent B.C. Watershed Security Officer.
CONSERVATIVE
– Maintain B.C.’s high environmental and safety standards: No compromises, no shortcuts, no excuses.
– Plan for water sustainability in partnership with farmers and ranchers to balance the water needs of food producers and local communities. These plans should include climate resilience measures and protections to sustain food production during droughts or floods.
– Comprehensively research and monitor the state of B.C.’s water supply by measures including a research chair to conduct ongoing study into the state of water reserves and availability in B.C. for people, agriculture, and wildlife.
– To create healthier habitats, stop all aerial spraying of glyphosate.
GREEN
– Provide $75 million annually to the B.C. Watershed Security Fund to ensure sustainable, long-term investment in watershed management.
– Create and support watershed boards in every community. These boards will be granted authority over decisions that affect watershed security and will serve as collaborative platforms where First Nations and local stakeholders – farmers, industry representatives, commercial users, and environmental stewards – can collaboratively manage and conserve their local water sources.
– Commit $100 million to fund the establishment and ongoing support of watershed boards across the province, ensuring their sustainability and effectiveness.
– Streamline the Water Sustainability Act
- Set clear environmental and critical flow thresholds to safeguard water ecosystems and ensure sustainable water use across the province.
- Safeguard drinking water sources by implementing stronger protections and monitoring to prevent contamination and overuse.
- Require industries to accurately report their water use and provide state-of-the-watershed reporting, improving transparency and resource management.
- Grant an amnesty to farmers and long-standing water users who missed previous deadlines, allowing them to apply for water licenses before new users.
- Update the “first-in-time, first-in-right” principle to reflect modern realities, ensuring allocations are adaptable and durable.
- Empower local watershed boards to have a role in critical water-use decisions.
- Improve the Ministry of Environment’s ability to administer penalties, enhancing compliance with water use regulations and protecting water resources.
– Stop clearcut industrial logging and adopt logging practices that emulate natural disturbance regimes, such as selective logging, commercial thinning, and longer stand rotations.
– Ban the use of glyphosate and other chemical herbicides.
– Improve silviculture practices.
– Amend the Private Managed Forest Land Act to ensure basic ecological and cultural protections on private land.
NDP
– Making sure B.C. communities have secure sources of clean water for the future by putting land use and watershed planning in the hands of local communities, farmers and businesses, in partnership with First Nations, and supporting those communities to identify and prioritize local water use
– Requiring that industry – not taxpayers – pay for the costs of clean up.
– Protecting communities and local watersheds by phasing out the use of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly, RoundUp) in B.C. forests.
Watershed Security Pledge
160 of 323 candidates have signed the Watershed Security Coalition Pledge. To date, 9 Conservatives, 62 Greens, 68 NDP and 21 candidates that are either independent or belong to other parties have signed. See if your candidates have signed the pledge.
Fish Friendly Flood Mitigation
Our ask: Safeguard floodplain communities and farmlands while restoring thousands of kilometres of salmon habitat blocked by obsolete flood control structures. This can be done by working with local governments, First Nations, farmers and conservation groups and by:
-
Funding and implementing the B.C. Flood Strategy by 2025.
-
Bringing the BC Flood Strategy to life in high-risk, flood-prone areas like the Lower Mainland with an allocation of $6 million for local collaborations that can tackle flood risks.
-
Ensuring new flood control projects improve salmon habitat, rather than degrade it.
CONSERVATIVE
– Renew B.C.’s flood mitigation infrastructure so the 2021 floods cannot happen again. We will establish permanent flood protection in high-risk agricultural areas like the Sumas Prairie, safeguarding our farmland, infrastructure, and supply chains.
GREEN
– Fund and implement the B.C. Flood Strategy by 2027 to protect floodplain communities and agricultural land from climate-related flooding risks.
– Shift from reactive disaster response to proactive resilience building and climate action, including habitat restoration and biodiversity protection.
– Utilize nature-based solutions to protect and conserve ecosystems while augmenting natural assets with green infrastructure.
NDP
– Advancing work on flood prevention in the Sumas Prairie through integrating flood mitigation infrastructure with our Highway 1 expansion.
Fisheries
Our ask: Get more salmon into B.C. rivers by:
-
Confronting unsustainable Alaskan fisheries that intercept B.C.-bound salmon and steelhead and pushing for a strengthened Canada/US salmon treaty. B.C. can help bring Alaska to the table with new land and water protections in our shared transboundary rivers.
-
Supporting selective fishing projects that bring economic fishing benefits to communities while minimizing impacts on endangered salmon and steelhead by working with the federal government to establish funding.
-
Stopping misguided support for new artificial production hatcheries and hatchery-dependent fisheries that undermine our wild salmon runs.
-
Modernizing the province’s management of recreational steelhead fisheries.
CONSERVATIVE
– Transparency and Inclusivity: We will ensure Indigenous peoples and stakeholders — hunters, fishers, recreationists, and conservationists — are not just “at the table,” but actively shaping B.C.’s wildlife management practices.
– Recognize hunters and fishers as key partners in conservation efforts. The NDP has ignored their expertise and mismanaged the quota system.
– Nothing specific to commercial or recreational fisheries, hatcheries, or steelhead management.
GREEN
– Nothing specific to commercial or recreational fisheries, hatcheries, or steelhead management.
NDP
– Nothing specific to commercial or recreational fisheries, hatcheries, or steelhead management.
Biodiversity
Our ask: Strengthen and implement laws and regulations that safeguard the health of our wild salmon and steelhead by:
-
Passing and implementing a strong B.C. biodiversity law;
-
Collaborating with the federal government and First Nations to create and implement rebuilding plans for endangered salmon and steelhead populations.
CONSERVATIVE
– Protect B.C.’s biodiversity by clearly designating the areas of our forests that will be prioritized for ecology and biodiversity, forever.
– Define the land area that will be prioritized for meeting biodiversity goals, where sourcing forest products will be of secondary value.
– Conservatives will introduce made-in-B.C. Species at Risk legislation so wildlife protections are shaped by B.C.-based experts – not Ottawa – and are reflective of our unique ecosystems.
GREEN
– Immediately enact Species at Risk legislation to safeguard vulnerable species.
– Allocate $120 million to fish and wildlife programs over three years.
– Achieve 30% land and water protection by 2030, in consultation with First Nations.
– Establish a Chief Ecologist as a counterpart to the Chief Forester to ensure multiple values are adequately incorporated into timber supply analysis and other decision-making
– Zone B.C.’s forests into three broad categories: 1. Primary forests 2. Restoration in secondary forests 3. Second-growth forests managed for timber production
NDP
– Expanding our investment in salmon restoration to more projects that are restoring estuaries, inter-tidal zones, and critical salmon spawning habitats.
– Meet our shared commitment to protecting 30% of B.C.’s land and water by 2030.
– Driving a made-in-B.C. strategy to protect B.C.’s biodiversity and ecological integrity.
Note: As a non-partisan organization, Watershed Watch does not endorse or oppose any electoral candidate or party. We have done our best to provide the most objective information possible about where the various parties and candidates stand on the issues we are focused on for wild salmon conservation. It’s up to you to decide who you vote for.