Finn Creek Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada, Photo credit - DeSmog Canada

Beautiful British Columbia, Canada had created many parks to protect some wilderness areas that were threatened by resource extraction, dams, and general human-caused destruction. But if a park threatens to thwart the expansion of a tar sands pipeline, the right-wing, industry-first government says, "Let's have a look at those boundaries and see what we can do to fix that obstacle."

Before the environmental studies were done, before the company, Kinder-Morgan had permits for the pipeline, it submitted a Provincial Protected Area Boundary Adjustment application because its pipeline plans included cutting through "three provincial parks and one protected grassland in B.C." The cutting through actually cuts the parks in half. And we know what pipeline installation does to the landscape. First they need roads to get their heavy equipment through, then there is the right of way on each side of the pipeline that has to be clearcut and kept free of trees. The width depends on the diameter of the pipeline. Then there can be a safety zone of 100 feet on each side of the right of way. When it comes to tar sands pipeline installation we are talking about an invasion.

B.C. Changes Boundary of Provincial Park to Make Way for Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion

Further information:
Kinder Morgan Asks B.C. to Remove Land from Provincial Parks to Make Way for Trans Mountain Pipeline Construction

“This pipeline project clearly threatens the values that this park was established to protect,” Peter Wood with the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), said. “It should never have been allowed to proceed this far, let alone be approved. Allowing industrial activity in an ecologically sensitive area like Finn Creek Park runs counter to the government’s mandate of protecting these places.”

Finn Creek Provincial Park is located along the North Thompson River, an area BC Parks says is rich in ecological diversity, with local grizzly and moose populations, and provides spawning habitat for bull trout, Coho and Chinook salmon.

Wood asked, “why would they proactively legislate changes to open the park to the pipeline before the NEB has even arrived at a decision?” Even though the proposed changes would only affect a small portion of the park, roughly 2.43 hectares according to the Ministry of Environment, “in principle, it doesn't make sense,” Wood said.

“My understanding is that the park protects wild salmon, grizzly bears and moose. I haven't seen the documents related to how these values will be affected,” Wood said. “But I think the bigger concern is that this major change was buried in a 'miscellaneous statutes' omnibus bill.”

“If it's no big deal, why not be transparent and tell the public that they are changing the park to accommodate the Kinder Morgan pipeline?”

We, the people elect people to protect our interests and then we find out their only interests are in promoting and protecting corporations no matter what the environmental trade off.