Fisheries Committee on March 10th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Arnold

We'll now go to the Liberal side, with Mr. Weiler, for five minutes or less, please.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Thank you.

In this process of responding to the Big Bar slide, what types of stakeholders are involved in the technical working groups, and how are these different experts selected?

[Rebecca Reid]

There are a number of different experts. Right now, we have two technical teams: one on enhancement, and one on alternative fish passage. We also have a number of engineers,biologists and scientists from within the department.

We also have a number of consultants: Pacific Salmon Foundation, a number of first nations, Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, Okanagan Nation Alliance, the sport fishing advisory committee, people from UBC and from the Province of B.C., as well as community groups.

How were they selected? In a way, they were self-selected. We asked for people who were interested. We reached out to others. We were looking far and wide for support. People are very interested in this project, so we've had an overwhelming response of support.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

How do these technical working groups operate? How do they come to different decisions and options?

[Rebecca Reid]

They convene as a group. They explore ideas. I don't know their specific governance but it is a collaborative process. We are looking for ideas. We're looking for things that are technically feasible. These groups have explored a huge number of ideas that I haven't identified today. They have discarded the ones that are least likely and have come up with the ones that are most likely, which are the ones I presented.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

At which points are these technical working groups providing information for different decisions?

[Rebecca Reid]

They are focused on how to respond, what to do and the feasibility.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

That's great. For this project overall has access to financial resources been a constraining element?

[Rebecca Reid]

No, it has not.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Overall, for the department, how have funding levels changed over the last four and a half years for both research and enhancement for salmon?

[Rebecca Reid]

There has been a big increase in the department's funds.

Jennifer, do you want to speak to this?

[Jen O'Donoughue]

Is the question specifically about salmon?

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Yes.

[Rebecca Reid]

We've had a number of investments that support salmon, for example, the BCSRIF or the Pacific Salmon Foundation. There's an investment in science that directly benefited salmon, so there are a number of different situations and examples: the coastal restoration fund, for example.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Have similar areas of potential slope instability along the Fraser and other major salmon-bearing rivers been identified in the wake of this project?

[Rebecca Reid]

This particular location has some cracks that we've been looking at that could have been there for a thousand years or one year. DFO hasn't undertaken a thorough review of the slope stability, although I think it is understood that it's an unstable area.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Okay.

What other disaster mitigation strategies and management lessons have been learned throughout this process?

[Rebecca Reid]

The lesson of collaboration is a huge one for us, as are the importance of reaching out to experts, the extreme importance of communication and making sure people feel engaged and have the opportunity to provide input, taking quick action and doing what you can as soon as you can, and planning proactively for the future.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

The contingency measures are listed in an order of one to four. Is there some significance to that?

[Rebecca Reid]

They are listed somewhat chronologically, as in, here's the first thing, then the next, then the next. Just to be clear, we do need to put all the infrastructure in place at the same time before the water levels rise so that we can add these things. We would also anticipate.... It's not entirely sequential because the water is flashy. If it drops, maybe the fish will be able to pass naturally again. If it rises, maybe the fishway will work. If it doesn't work, maybe the fish pump will work.

We are looking at those contingencies as needed.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Will the technical working group be engaged to determine what contingency measures will be taken going forward?

[Rebecca Reid]

As we operationalize the activities this summer, we will continue to engage our technical experts in the way forward. We're going to need to have a very regular evaluation and adaptation approach to make sure we do everything possible to support fish passage.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

That's great.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Weiler.

Now we'll go to Mr. Fast, for five minutes or less, please.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Thank you.

You made a statement earlier that your priority is wild fish. That can be taken a number of ways. If you speak to our sport fishing stakeholders, they would be taken aback because their only opportunity to take fish is marked hatchery fish. Is that correct?