BCPSC Welcomes Provincial Recommendations to Protect Recreation Access and Invest in Outdoor Recreation
Budget 2027 recommendations call for dedicated recreation funding and assessment of high-value recreation roads before deactivation
The BC Powersports Coalition is welcoming recommendations from the Legislature’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services that recognize the need for long-term investment in outdoor recreation infrastructure and a more proactive approach to protecting recreation access across British Columbia.
Released August 11, the Report on the Budget 2027 Consultation includes two recommendations with significant implications for outdoor recreation organizations, rural communities and public access.
The Committee recommends that the Province:
Review and strengthen British Columbia’s parks and recreation funding model to provide predictable, dedicated funding that supports sector organizations and infrastructure, aligned with tourism priorities; and
Provide dedicated funding to assess and protect high-value recreation access roads prior to deactivation where recreation, tourism, emergency access or community value remains.
These recommendations closely reflect issues brought forward by the BC Powersports Coalition during the Budget 2027 consultation.
Representing provincial organizations supporting snowmobile, ATV, off-road motorcycle and four-wheel-drive recreation, the Coalition asked government to move B.C.’s new Outdoor Recreation Strategy from strategy to implementation.
The BCPSC advanced three interconnected priorities: a dedicated cross-ministry Recreation Infrastructure Fund, a user-based funding model that reinvests recreation-generated revenues into the system, and dedicated funding for high-value recreation access roads and related infrastructure.
The Committee’s final report specifically records the recommendation from the BC Powersports Coalition and BC Snowmobile Federation to establish a dedicated cross-ministry recreation infrastructure fund to support implementation of B.C.’s Outdoor Recreation Strategy.
During its deliberations, the Committee went further, identifying the need for sustainable funding for BC Parks, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, recreation infrastructure, provincial not-for-profit recreation organizations and volunteer-led trail management.
That recognition is significant for a recreation system that relies heavily on provincial organizations, local clubs and thousands of volunteers to deliver and maintain public recreation opportunities across B.C.
Collectively, BCPSC member organizations represent more than 325,000 recreation users, more than 28,000 kilometres of managed trails and over 120 volunteer clubs and associations. Those organizations maintain trails, shelters, staging areas and access infrastructure while supporting safety, stewardship, training, risk management and responsible recreation across the province.
Protecting access before it is lost
The recommendation on high-value recreation access roads also closely reflects a central issue raised by the Coalition.
Many of British Columbia’s recreation areas depend on resource roads, bridges, trailheads and staging areas originally developed for forestry and other industrial uses. As industrial activity changes, those routes can be deactivated or bridges removed even where substantial public value remains.
The BCPSC’s Budget 2027 submission called for a practical funding mechanism to identify and support high-value recreation access where there is demonstrated public benefit and a willing partner prepared to participate in a long-term solution.
The Committee’s recommendation establishes an important direction: recreation, tourism, emergency access and community value should be considered before irreversible road deactivation occurs.
This does not mean preserving every former industrial road. It means having a coordinated process to identify the routes that continue to matter and determining where governments, recreation organizations, Indigenous partners, tourism organizations and communities can work together to sustain access.
From strategy to implementation
The recommendations also align closely with B.C.’s Outdoor Recreation Strategy, which recognizes outdoor recreation as a sector in its own right and identifies both dependable funding for recreation organizations and a modernized framework for high-value recreation access and resource roads as provincial priorities.
For the BC Powersports Coalition, the Budget 2027 report represents an important step toward a recreation system where access, infrastructure and the organizations responsible for delivering recreation are planned for deliberately rather than addressed only when infrastructure fails or access is threatened.
The BCPSC will continue working with the Province, its member organizations and the broader outdoor recreation sector to advance these recommendations through Budget 2027 and implementation of B.C.’s Outdoor Recreation Strategy.
About the BC Powersports Coalition
The BC Powersports Coalition brings together provincial organizations representing snowmobile, ATV, off-road motorcycle and four-wheel-drive recreation across British Columbia. Collectively, Coalition members represent more than 325,000 recreation users, more than 28,000 kilometres of managed trails and over 120 volunteer clubs and associations working to support safe, responsible and sustainable motorized recreation.
For more information see the full budget reccomendations report: https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/committees/43rdparliament-2ndsession-fgs
