Over the years, I have heard from many people concerned about preserving the natural heritage in our region and those voices are getting louder and more numerous. Many of us recognize that places like Cable Bay, Harewood Plains, Mt. Benson and the Nanaimo River are more than just beautiful landscapes – they are rich ecosystems, and home to species and habitats at risk. They are also important for recreation and community wellbeing.
The Harewood Plains and Cable Bay lands are rich in biodiversity, including species and ecosystems at risk. These areas within Nanaimo City limits also have cultural significance to the Snuneymuxw First Nation. The Cable Bay lands stand as Nanaimo’s last unprotected waterfront forest within city limits. The Nanaimo River has two threatened salmon runs and amazing pools that people flock to in the summer for swimming. The mountain biking trails around Mt. Benson are well used by the community and attract tourists to our region.
The City of Nanaimo is the fifth fastest growing community in Canada and development pressures are ramping up, resulting in threats to natural areas that local residents and tourists have accessed for decades. There’s a long list of special areas within the Regional District of Nanaimo that need protecting including ecosystems that are integral to our community drinking water catchment areas.
Protecting the biodiversity of local environmentally sensitive areas, ensuring our water supply is properly protected and that we continue to have recreational access is critical to maintaining our quality of life in this region. Biodiversity loss is also a major driver of climate change.
However, acquiring and maintaining these lands as protected areas is beyond the financial capabilities of the City and Regional District of Nanaimo. That’s why federal and provincial involvement and the good-will and generosity of major landowners is essential.
The Role of Senior Government
Both the federal and provincial governments have committed to protecting 30% of British Columbia’s biodiversity by 2030, but the Nanaimo region's protected areas currently fall well short of that – less than 2% of the Regional District of Nanaimo’s land base is designated as parkland or conservation area. For example the Nanaimo River watershed is 750 square kilometers but less than 2 Sq km’s is parkland and less than 11 Sq km’s is protected area. To protect the natural treasures around us, to protect our community drinking water systems, to protect the quality of life for residents, senior governments need to step in with funding and policy support and major landowners need to demonstrate goodwill and commitment to community wellbeing.
How History Complicates Today’s Efforts
Some of the greatest challenges to conservation in our region stem from the E&N Land Grant of 1887. More than 130 years ago 8,000 square kilometers of Vancouver Island – 20% of the landmass – were transferred to private ownership as part of the deal to build the Esquimalt & Nanaimo railway which was a condition for British Columbia to join the Canadian Confederation.
The E&N Land Grant has had enduring consequences. Today, the lack of Crown land makes it challenging for local governments to secure protected areas for conservation or to ensure that community drinking watersheds are adequately protected. For First Nations, it has impacted existing treaties, modern treaty negotiations and access to traditional lands. For residents, it limits recreational access to natural spaces and places unique ecosystems under threat from development pressures. At current assessed land and timber values these critical lands are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
If you’d like to learn more about this issue, I explored the history and implications of the E&N Land Grant in my 2011 film, Voices of the River, and its impact on community drinking watersheds in the 2012 film Troubled Water.
Forest companies have been the biggest beneficiaries of privatization through the E&N Land Grant and have realized massive land value increases in the last decade. Mosaic Forest Management manages the planning, operations and product sales for TimberWest and Island Timberlands, the two largest land-owning companies on Vancouver Island. All three of these companies are owned by British Columbia and Canadian public sector pension funds.
Because these lands are private, they fall under the Private Managed Forest Land regulations which are less stringent than the BC Forest Act which covers crown land. These forest lands are replanted as monoculture tree farms and lack natural biodiversity which means they lack natural habitat for wildlife and are more susceptible to disease and wildfire (which threatens our communities) . These companies need to be part of the solution and assist with protecting biodiversity and creating parks and protected areas on Vancouver Island. The City and the RDN have funded previous land acquisitions.The Federal Government has tax incentives for land-owners to set aside land to protect biodiversity. There are also carbon offset programs that the companies can access. What we need are permanent protections.
Recent Advocacy and the Path Forward
In 2023, I submitted a resolution to the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) through the Regional District of Nanaimo urging federal and provincial governments to prioritize biodiversity protection within the E&N Land Grant region. This proposal, titled E&N Land Grant Biodiversity Protection and Restoration, called for collaboration with First Nations, local governments, and landowners to protect sensitive ecosystems, community watershed catchments, and culturally significant areas. The resolution passed at AVICC which then advocates to senior levels of government on behalf of its member communities.
The following year, I presented a resolution at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) entitled Biodiversity Protection and Restoration Funding for Municipalities 30% by 2030 Goal. This resolution advocated for federal funding to help municipalities acquire lands containing species at risk and critical ecosystems, but it fell short by only 30 votes.
The City of Nanaimo and the Regional District of Nanaimo have both passed motions, written to and met with senior levels of government requesting assistance with land acquisition for biodiversity protection.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for local residents to keep pushing. Nanaimo’s city and regional governments need the financial backing of higher government levels to make real progress on protecting local biodiversity and we need the forest companies to come to the table and provide assistance so the financial burden of setting aside land for conservation is not left solely with taxpayers.
How You Can Get Involved
Your voice matters in this conversation. By reaching out to federal and provincial representatives, you can help build momentum for conservation. Here are some contacts to reach out to:
BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship: WLRS.minister@gov.bc.ca
BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy: ENV.minister@gov.bc.ca
Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change: ministre-minister@ec.gc.ca
MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith: LisaMarieBaron@parl.gc.ca
MLA for Nanaimo-Gabriola: Sheila.Malcolmson.MLA@leg.bc.ca
MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville: George.Anderson.MLA@leg.bc.ca
MLA for Ladysmith-Oceanside: Stephanie.Higginson.MLA@leg.bc.ca
The members of our community who want to see biodiversity protection need to make their voices heard in Victoria and Ottawa. As Nanaimo continues to grow, preserving these natural spaces will be critical to maintaining the quality of life that makes this region special. I’m grateful for your advocacy and am hopeful that, together, we can inspire meaningful action from our senior governments.
Paul Manly is a Nanaimo City Councillor and former Member of Parliament. The views expressed are his own.
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