Updates from the WPC
Thank you to everyone who joined our Virtual Forum on Tuesday. With nearly 600 attendees, this was one of the largest marine & aquatic community turnouts in BC in a long time!
We were so happy that our guest speakers participated and provided their own perspectives on such an important topic. We are truly humbled by the support we have received from Coalition Members and communities across the Province.
If you attended on our virtual forum, please send us your feedback on what you would like to see next time.
PDF Presentation here. | Virtual Forum Recording here.
We wanted to extend a special thank you to our guest speakers! Thank you for sharing your thoughts: Council of B.C. Yachts, Pender Harbour Area Residents Association, Boating B.C. and swiya Lake Stewardship Alliance, we would not be where we are today without all of you. We are stronger together!
The Recreational Dock Owner Society (RDOS), unfortunately wasn’t able to present but here is a little information about them:
RDOS was formed in response to proposed amendments to foreshore license agreements with affected stakeholders in March 2023. Similarly to the WPC, RDOS is advocating for the foreshore and upland property rights of impacted waterfront property owners under the Port Authority’s jurisdiction, which includes Port Moody, Belcarra, Indian Arm, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Horseshoe Bay, and the Fraser River. Some of the issues these dock owners are facing include fee increases by 15-fold, expirations, cancellations without cause, NO grandfathering on transfers, REMOVAL of boathouses upon sale of a properly and a complete LACK of engagement by the government with affected stakeholders.
Next Steps
We are awaiting a response from Minister Cullen and will keep you apprised of any developments on that front. The Minister has opted to selectively meet with some groups, while we have received no response since our initial correspondence, sent on February 2, 2024, and followed up with a subsequent letter on February 13, 2024. We have requested an extension to September 30, 2024, and a seat at the table with respect to engagement. We hope that Minister Cullen and his team will grant that extension and work with affected stakeholders including the WPC to come up with a fair solution for all.
How you can help
1. Submit your feedback on the Dock Management Plan:
Deadline is TODAY: February 16, 2024. Submit through the Comment Portal: here.
Send a copy to: WLRS.minister@gov.bc.ca, premier@gov.bc.ca, YOUR MLA, YOUR MP
A letter template and “How To” can be found here.
2. Submit feedback on the proposed Land Act Amendments
Government information website located here. The submission deadline is March 31, 2024.
Email: LandActamendments@gov.bc.ca and,
Send a copy to: WLRS.minister@gov.bc.ca, premier@gov.bc.ca, YOUR MLA, YOUR MP
3. Volunteer for a committee!
We need your help, we are a grassroots, volunteer-driven organization, please email us if you can contribute and are willing to donate your time and expertise to the cause. We want to hear from you!
4. Donate to our GoFundMe