Respectfully submitted by Gerry Paille
In 2024, the Wildlife and Allocations Committee worked to improve the management of British Columbia's wildlife. The BCWF regularly engages with elected officials and wildlife managers at the provincial and regional level, but we did not see significant progress in achieving positive outcomes for wildlife.
Hunting regulations aside, stakeholders, First Nations, and government representatives generally agreed on what to do for wildlife and habitat. However, support in meetings did not translate into meaningful action. A new strategy is needed to prioritize wildlife and habitat without sacrificing economic stability.
Little progress was made on the large government initiatives announced in 2023, including the Tripartite Nature Agreement to protect 30 percent of land water by 2030, reforming conservation funding, and implementing a biodiversity framework. The BCWF generally supports these initiatives, including the associated large financial commitments, but major concerns remain about public access to public land and resources, early and meaningful consultation, the lack of a provincial framework to establish Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, and the critical need to establish an office of biodiversity with a chief officer who has authority and reports to Cabinet so that recommendations are not fettered at the ministerial level.
Together for Wildlife
A Together for Wildlife (T4W) update is overdue and there are indications that Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Randene Neill will welcome the support of the BCWF in fulfilling her mandate. BCWF requested a written update in early August 2024, agreeing to a completion date of late August. The report was not provided, likely due to the upcoming election. The last official update was in 2022. A BCWF review of T4W shows few meaningful achievements that directly impact wildlife. The government provides a T4W dashboard with projects and spending, but it's only current to 2023. A new report is promised for early 2025.
Wildlife Act Review
Phase 2 of the Wildlife review is complete including engagement with rights and title holders, ministry advisory bodies, provincial government departments, and interest groups. The BCWF is a member of the Provincial Hunting and Trapping Advisory Team (PHTAT), which is one of the three advisory bodies that also includes the Minister's Wildlife Advisory Council and the First Nations-BC Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Forum. Confidential summary documents outlining proposals for inclusion or updating the Act related to discussions around Wildlife Habitat, Conservation Lands and Stewardship, Reconciliation, Funding, and Objective Setting were circulated to PHTAT members.
Phase 3 of the review includes consultation and engagement with rights and title holders, Ministry advisory bodies, other provincial government departments, stakeholder groups, and the public on proposed changes to legislation in the winter and spring of 2025. The intention is to send a request for legislation by fall of 2025 and to introduce the bill to amend the Act early in 2026.
BC Fish Wildlife and Habitat Coalition
The BCWF is a key member of the BC Fish Wildlife and Habitat Coalition, which includes 29 organizations. The coalition met regularly in 2024 and prioritized improving wildlife and habitat management through legislation and objectives, landscape protection with stakeholder input, and increased and dedicated funding. Immediate goals of the coalition are to engage high-level bureaucrats and elected officials, and to rally membership to become a large part of communicating to government and the public.
Regional Wildlife Advisory Committees
There are only three Regional Wildlife Advisory Committees (RWACs), which is disappointing considering Together for Wildlife Action #2 indicates RWACs were to be established across the province by the end of 2022. The East Kootenay and Okanagan RWACs were the most active, with the Thompson RWAC still developing. Committee members expressed concerns about moving from dialogue to actions, and about government support, including capacity and funding to keep momentum going. The BCWF relayed these concerns to government staff in Victoria and heard a commitment to resolving these issues, but lack of ministry budgeting for the processes could be a problem.
Hunting Regulations and Limited Entry Hunting
The LEH synopsis for 2024 was released in mid-May with a June 13 application deadline. This deadline was considered late, however, the government efficiently processed applications, releasing results in just over two weeks. The BCWF's recommendations were partially accepted, maintaining the status quo for bighorn and thinhorn sheep in Region 7B and rejecting a proposal to close antlerless elk hunting on Dunlevy Road.
The government's decision to reject a proposal to change the Region 7B moose LEH to "any bull" was based on 2023 harvest data showing an estimated 601 moose killed. The BCWF supported to change to any bull. The BCWF requested detailed data on this estimate but received only partial information. Changes to the Region 6 caribou season (from general open to LEH) and adjustments to moose LEH were implemented despite BCWF's concerns. Ongoing discussions focus on caribou LEH in Region 6 and moose management in Region 7B, with BCWF seeking further data to justify the changes.
Provincial Hunting and Trapping Advisory Team (PHTAT)
In 2024, the work of the PHTAT group focused on the Control of Species Policy, the Wildlife Act Review, the Limited Entry Draw System, wildlife health (CWD mostly), hunting regulation changes, and Together for Wildlife. PHTAT is reviewing the Control of Species Policy with the intention of making recommendations on updates. The BCWF is an advocate for expanding the ability to control predators beyond the caribou recovery program when there are objectives and supporting evidence.
Fines Under the Wildlife Act
The BCWF petitioned the government to significantly increase wildlife infraction fines. As of June 18, 2024, fines rose from $115-$575 to $345-$1,495, the first update in over 20 years. Some hunters were surprised by the fines and suggested a different schedule for self-reporting hunters. The BCWF also heard about inconsistencies in enforcement by Conservation Officers, with some strictly enforcing laws and handling out tickets while others were giving warnings for similar offences. The BCWF has discussed this with the Chief Conservation Officer. The BCWF is supportive of the new fine schedule and continues to petition government to dedicate such fines to managing fish, wildlife, and habitat.
Chronic Wasting Disease
In 2024, the battle to minimize the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) was a priority. There were four confirmed cases of CWD in the east Kootenays, three of which were near Cranbrook and the fourth to the south. Since April of 2024, about 5,500 samples have been tested for CWD province-wide, with the bulk of those samples (approximately 4,400) coming from the East Kootenays where there is mandatory submission of hunter harvested deer, elk, and moose. White-tailed deer submissions are most common, followed by mule deer, elk, and a few moose. CWD also continues to spread in the U.S. states adjacent to the B.C. Kootenays, and the spread continues westward in Alberta.
The BCWF advocated for swift action as the best chance of curtailing transmission. The government expanded the number of wildlife management units where submissions were mandatory and conducted a targeted removal of deer around the first positive cases to acquire more data. For the 2024 hunting season, transporting cervid brain tissue or spinal column (except for the tail) outside the CWD Management Zone (MUs 4-1 to 4-8 and 4-20 to 4-25) was prohibited. The BCWF supported these actions but urged year-round sampling with concerns about insufficient collection outside hunting seasons. Turnaround times for testing results decreased in 2024, but recent data shows the time for results creeping back up to six eeks or more.
Sampling efforts showed a low prevalence of the disease, but a low prevalence means that a higher rate of sampling is needed to provide confidence that CWD is not spreading or is not present in specific locations. Test results for deer removed through targeted initiatives need to be expedited so appropriate actions can be rapidly implemented if needed.
GROW - Glyphosate Research on Forest Organisms and Wildlife Health
The BCWF is a partner in the GROW research project with UNBC, UBC, First Nations, the Alberta Trappers Association, and the British Columbia Trappers Association. Dr. Lisa Wood of UNBC, who spoke at the BCWF AGM in 2019 in Fort St John, is the project lead. The BCWF's commitment is to assist with outreach to connect hunters with the project and to promote the collection of biological samples for analysis.
The BCWF participated in a workshop along with First Nations, researchers, students, and other stakeholders focused on knowledge sharing and collaborative planning for the five-year research project on the impact of glyphosate on forest ecosystems, including gut biomes for weasels, martin, moose, and deer. The focus areas of the study are Omineca and the Peace River. A few large mammal kits were distributed late in the fall, but none were returned. Trappers had more success in providing samples.
