Capital Regional District Regional Parks protects and manages more than 13,300 hectares of natural areas in 32 regional parks and three regional trails on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
The Regional Parks Strategic Plan 2012-21 set the overall vision, goals and objectives for the Regional Parks’ service delivery over the past 10 years, but it needs to be updated.
While much of the strategic plan remains relevant and continues to guide the management of regional parks and trails, the region faces new challenges and opportunities affecting regional parks and trails.
Since the inception of its land acquisition fund in 2000, the CRD has invested about $62 million in acquiring new parklands to protect important ecological values and provide opportunities for the region’s growing population to experience and access nature.
The level of visitation to regional parks increased to about 8.9 million visits in 2021, a 17 per cent increase over 2019 levels, creating challenges for maintaining service levels.
The existing plan also does not adequately reflect the importance the CRD places on First Nations reconciliation, or the urgency of helping the region adapt to a changing climate.
Consequently, in December 2021, the CRD board initiated a six-month process to update the strategic plan.
In February, the board directed staff to seek input from First Nations, stakeholder groups and the public on a proposed vision, values, mission statements and priorities for the updated plan.
To maintain a long-standing focus on ecological protection, the board also directed that a lens of conservation and protection of biodiversity be applied to the process and plan.
CRD Regional Parks is gathering public input on the board’s direction for the strategic plan through an online survey.
Public input on these preliminary directions for the plan is also being gathered from stakeholder groups representing broad conservation, outdoor recreation and community interests through a series of focus groups.
Results from the public survey and focus groups will allow the CRD to receive valuable feedback from a variety of individuals from across the region before developing a comprehensive set of actions for an updated strategic plan.
The CRD appreciates hearing and reading all perspectives. This allows us to reflect on our work, better integrate a diversity of viewpoints into our priorities, and ensure we continue to steward a much-loved regional parks and trails network.
We disagree, however, with a March 24 commentary that said the survey is misleading. It is not at all misleading.
The intent of the survey is to hear from members of the public to help the board determine whether there is support for the preliminary work that will guide the strategic plan, and by extension, our management of these prized natural assets over the next 10 years.
The CRD appreciates the time residents take to write and share their thoughts. For more information and to take the survey, visit: getinvolved.crd.bc.ca/regional-parks-strategic-plan-update.
