Crown Land

Issues:

  • Better communication and understanding of Crown land management is needed.
  • Land Act tenure and development access are critical for economic diversification and sustainable growth.
  • Planning for development opportunities is important to ensure existing and potential uses do not block access to future land allocation opportunities and expansion.
  • Land Act applications need to consider all values and land uses in the approval process to ensure highest and best use of the area.
  • Economic diversification and development would be supported by streamlining application processes through improved accountability, better agency service to private clients, and timely decision-making.

Goals:

  • Sustainable, economically and environmentally responsible Crown land development achieved through balanced decision-making

Crown Land and Water

Objectives Management Direction/Strategies Measures of Success/Targets Intent
1. Provide access to Crown land to support the development of community infrastructure, settlement and economic development in a manner that is consistent with the maintenance of other resource values 1.1 Integrate LRMP resource values and uses in decisions regarding the best use of Crown Land under the Land Act Landbase available for development by a wide range of land uses
1.2 Use LRMP mapping and objectives to identify compatible and highly incompatible uses
1.3 Land Act tenured activities near the interface of Crown and private lands should be designed so that conflicts between existing recreational users and new Land Act tenure holders can be minimized Conflicts minimized
1.4 Appropriate provisions to mitigate adverse impacts to resource values and uses should be included in Crown land decisions Provisions applied as required
1.5 Where necessary, use Land Act designations to maintain resource values, e.g. reserves Completed annually
1.6 Compatible uses should be combined (e.g., power lines and private drive access that cross Crown land) and incompatible uses should be separated (e.g., snowmobiles and heliski tenures) by directing specific uses to appropriate areas where possible. For example, Promote “twinning” or multiple use of access, utility, and other corridors in decisions for Crown land dispositions in order to minimize impacts on other resources (e.g., productive forest landbase, sensitive visual landscapes, Agricultural Land Reserve and wildlife habitat) Access, utility and other linear developments share corridors
1.7 Undertake inventories and identify opportunities for Crown land disposition including, but not limited to, First Nations uses and opportunities, commercial recreation, recreational cottage lots, linear corridors, community infrastructure and expansion, industrial uses, etc.
2. Maintain the option for access to lands beyond the area described in Land Act tenures 2.1 Consider LRMP access objectives as Land Act tenures are reviewed or amended over time Access information should be readily available to agencies for their consideration
2.2 Use the access objectives and seasonal maps under Access Section when planning road access for new Crown land tenures
3. Minimize access restrictions to existing Land Act tenures 3.1 Minimize the impact of Forest Act and Wildlife Act access restrictions to Land Act tenure holders Landbase available for development by a wide range of land uses Land Act decisions maintain access to Crown land This is to facilitate long term security for Crown land operators in the plan area. It is recognized that measures may be required to mitigate environmental impacts (e.g., uncontrolled erosion, wildlife disturbance) or reduce risks (e.g., unsafe bridges). There is no implication that any party will maintain any road on behalf of the tenure holder
3.2 Utilize interagency agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to establish protocols for issuing vehicle permits to persons with Land Act tenures in areas with regulatory access restrictions (e.g., Red Mountain, French Mountain, China Head, Nine Mile Ridge, Hogback, Spruce Lake, Bonanza Creek)
3.3 Ensure that Crown land tenure holders have the opportunity to maintain access