Sustainable Land-Use Agreement Reached for Haida Gwaii
Nearly half of the land base of Haida Gwaii will rest within protected areas as a result of a strategic land-use agreement announced this week by Premier Gordon Campbell and Guujaaw, President of the Council of the Haida Nation.
This agreement will allow for sustainable economic development opportunities for the benefit of all British Columbians and was reached through government-to-government discussions between the Province and the Council of the Haida Nation (CHN). Highlights of the agreement include:
- A commitment to an economic timber opportunity of at least 800,000 cubic metres per year to ensure continuation of sustainable forestry operations.
- An agreement to develop a process that will inform the determination of the long-term timber supply for Haida Gwaii.
- New protected areas to reflect ecological, cultural conservation, spiritual and recreation purposes totalling 254,000 hectares to be managed collaboratively with the provincial government. The new areas equal 25.3 per cent of the total land base and, with the Gwaii Haanas, Naikoon and other existing protected areas, bring the total protected area on the Islands to approximately 50 per cent, which is nearly equivalent to the size of Prince Edward Island.
- A set of initial ecosystem-based management (EBM) objectives for forestry to be further tested and refined through detailed strategic planning before being legally established as requirements for timber harvesting. These will ensure the vital balance between healthy ecosystems and vibrant communities.
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Report Shows Class Sizes Reduced Across the Province
The third annual report on class sizes in British Columbia shows that, for the second consecutive year, more than 95 per cent of classes in school districts throughout B.C. had 30 or fewer students. According to the report, classes with more than 30 students have decreased by close to 66 per cent throughout the province since 2005-06.
Other highlights of the report are:
- The number of classes in the province increased by 28 over last year, even though enrolment has declined by an estimated 7,000 students this year.
- There have been 278 new teaching assistants hired this year, up almost 3.5 per cent from 8,062 last year.
- There are 6,049 classes with 15 or fewer students, up from 5,963 last year, and over 600 more than in 2005-06.
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Hydrogen Highway Moves Forward With New Contract
BC Transit has finalized a six-year, $20-million contract with Air Liquide Canada Inc. of Montreal to supply hydrogen for the Province’s 20 new fuel cell buses which are scheduled to begin arriving next summer, Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon and BC Transit chair Kevin Mahoney announced this week.
- Air Liquide, together with Canadian companies Sacre-Davey Group, Hydrogen Technology and Energy Corporation and Hydrogenics Corporation, will design, supply, operate and maintain two hydrogen fuelling stations in Victoria and Whistler.
- The first of BC Transit’s fleet of fuel cell buses will undergo testing and evaluation in Victoria in the summer of 2008. When fully operational in late 2009, the new fleet will be based in Whistler as part of public transportation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
- The low-floor buses will have a range of 500 km, a top speed of 90 km/h and a life expectancy of 20 years.
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