VICTORIA B.C. – Locked gates on back roads are increasingly restricting access to wild lands in the province, making it harder for outdoors people to go hunting, fishing or hiking. A new bill tabled Monday by Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party, would put a stop to that practice.

“British Columbians are increasingly being fenced out of the province’s wild lands. The ability to access and experience nature is a public right, and we must protect it,” says Weaver, who is the MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head. “Free public access to the outdoors is vital to people’s health and well-being, but it is also vital to the health and well-being of our environment. People protect what they know and love. If we become disconnected from our environment we risk disengaging with the fight for its future.”

Hon. Bill Bennett continued his public assault on the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) Friday. This time he targeted his own colleague Hon. Norm Letnick, the Minister of Agriculture, and reaffirmed his personal commitment to Bill 24, the ALC (Agricultural Land Commission) Amendment Act.

I am assuming Les Leyne’s latest article Changes to ALR, parks long overdue (Times Colonist April 16, 2014) was attempting to add balance to what has been a very one-sided discussion. Until now the experts have agreed that the governments changes potentially to more harm than good.