An examination of the development of the regional park system by regional districts in British Columbia

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dc.contributor.authorHnytka, Jean Roseen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-14T17:18:06Z
dc.date.available2024-08-14T17:18:06Z
dc.date.copyright1987en_US
dc.date.issued1987
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Geography
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts M.A.en
dc.description.abstractThe study examines the characteristics of, and conĀ­straints to, regional park development in the regional districts of British Columbia. The B.C. system of 13,000 ha in 94 parks compares favorably to the other regionally administered regional park systems in North America, however, has sane shortcomings. The elected Directors of the regional districts are the decision-makers who direct the development of functions such as regional parks by vote. The provincial government initiated a regional park program in 1965 by legislated funding with requirements for park plans. A separate questionnaire for the directors and planners of the regional districts, and unstructured personal interviews with several senior officials of relevant provincial ministries were used to assess the support provided for regional parks. The provincial government has achieved the development of a relatively advanced system of regional parks within the framework of regional governments. It provided $13 million to 1982 to acquire and develop regional parks, 97% of which has gone to three regions. cuts in staff of the provincial Parks and outdoor Recreation Division and a change in policy has eliminated the grants and further reduced the limited coordinative, technical and administrative assistance previously offered. some regions lack regional park establishment which may not necessarily indicate a lack of support. The directors perceive that: (i) the regional park function is costly, (ii) sane regions serve a larger number of non-residents than residents and want compensation, (iii) provincial and local parks are insufficient, (iv) operations and maintenance costs of parks would consume the majority of the regionally generated parks budget in low tax assessment regions, (v) studies of regional needs are required for which some regions have insufficient resources, (vi) Crown lands and/or parks of the private sector preclude the need for regional parks. Regional support can be inferred from the survey responses: (i) 20 regions have adopted the regional park function, (ii) 72 parks existed at the time of the survey at a regional cost of $26 million, and 24 have been added since despite the loss of provincial funding, (iii) Official Regional Park Planning and limited park development continue despite reduced assistance from the province in recent years, (iv) the majority of regional officials state that the regional park function is moderately high in relative importance. The regions also express their autonomy along with their support by their desire to: (i) increase regional coordination of parks and recreation planning, (ii) continue with the regional park function as a voluntary one, and (iii) increase the funding from regional and local sources. The solutions proposed to further develop the regional park system include: (i) funding of the regions which have not been involved, or are only minimally involved, could be done on a park-specific, or project-specific basis, (ii) encouraging Official Regional Park Plan preparation by incentives and technical assistance, (iii) making technical assistance and interagency communication possible through provincially-hosted workshops of regional planners and officials of the various provincial ministries, and/or annual meetings of regional planners, (iv) clear statement by the provincial government of its regional park policy, and an increase in its involvement in making the public, elected directors and planners aware of the potential for regional parks.
dc.format.extent217 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/18179
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.titleAn examination of the development of the regional park system by regional districts in British Columbiaen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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