The CRD has provided a regional parks service since 1966. Since then, the regional parks systems has grown to include 33 regional parks comprising over 13,300 hectares (ha) of land. Since 2000, the CRD has actively expanded the regional parks system through use of the Land Acquisition Fund. With the support of partners, the CRD has acquired approximately 4,900 hectares of land since 2000 for regional parks and trails. In that time, the regional park system has grown from 8,400 ha to more than 13,300 ha.
Planning
Regional park land acquisition is guided by the CRD's Regional Parks Land Acquisition Strategy which identifies guiding principles and criteria for selecting desirable parcels of land to purchase as regional park. The Land Acquisition Strategy will be updated in 2023 to reflect the priorities identified in the interim Regional Parks & Trails Strategic Plan 2022-2032.
The Strategic Plan supports global, national and local conservation targets by increasing the area of park land in the region and by increased representation of all four regional park classifications: Conservation Areas, Wilderness Areas, Natural Recreation Areas and Conservancy Areas.
Funding
The CRD Board established a Land Acquisition Fund (LAF) in 2000 for the sole purpose of acquiring regional park land. The LAF was initially set at a rate of $10 per average residential household and has increased over time.
In 2010, the LAF was renewed and an increase of $1 per year was approved. In November 2019, the Board extended the LAF to 2029 at the rate of $20 per average residential household, with rates set to increase by $1 each year through 2025 to a maximum of $25 per average residential household. The LAF collected approximately $4 million in 2021 for regional park land acquisition.
The CRD's 2022 Financial Plan incorporates a new approach to land acquisition that leverages borrowing capacity to purchase land that would otherwise be unattainable on a pay-as-you-go savings model. This financing structure is anticipated to create a revenue stream that can be used to service up to $50 million of land purchases over 15 years, thereby leveraging a net increase in land values more than $100 million.
Partnerships
The CRD is committed to having meaningful discussions with First Nations, municipal, provincial and federal parks agencies operating in the region, as well as with land conservancy organizations and other potential partners, when entering into land acquisition decisions.
Image Gallery
The image gallery below shows examples of land acquired through the fund over the years.