AB - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 9, 1997

1995-1996: An environ-
<7 Ment ministry study of
4} 1,500 individuals and

=) organizations indicates
=) anglers would be willing to
=| pay more to fish if the

| money goes to conserva-
tion. Fee increases con-

| sidered, different options

April 1-5, 1997: In interviews with tha Standard, tourlsm
minister Jan Pullinger incorrectly states that licence fees. |”
in B.C, are stil lower than in competing jurisdictions {ike y
Washington and Cregon states. Don Fast also insists this [%,
is the case, Environment minister Cathy McGregor says
she was not aware of any concerns from the business

community about the potential loss of tourist dollars.

\

explored,

-| October 18, 1996:
:| Director of Fisharias

:.| Harvey Andrusak con-
| siders deferring the
“| fee increases for a

March 19, 1997: , Andrusak tells assistant deputy |:
minister Don Fast the flack the ministry is starting to }
:| get about the increases was exactly why Fisherles
recommended the fees notrise until after consulta-
tion. Fast responds telling Andrusak he had been
part of the decision to proceed and had not
managed it well. Fast also says he plans to discuss
the issue further with Andrusak at a “performance
evaluation”. Within two weeks Andrusak retires
“reluctantly”.

May, 1997: After a second
protest rally in Terrace anda
firestorm of critical media
coverage, fees are rollad

| back and increases are
deferred for one year.
McGregor promises consulta-
1 tion before bringing in the

| increases, now slated for

| April 1998, but says the fee

4 year because there =|
“4 will not be time to con- |.
-] sult with stakeholders, |
“| Asks for comment

| from staff in the field.

February 12, 1997: Skeena
environment ministry region-
al director Jim Yardley warns
the ministry to expect major
criticism about the lack of
notice from guides, the tour-
ism industry and chambers
of commerce. Also says the
Intent of the fees is good, as
it should help pay for much-
needed regulation
enforcement.

October 18-22,
1996: Regional
biologists advise
Andrusak to hold off
until user groups
have a Say.

November,
1996: Ancrusak
recommends
the ministry not
-proceed with
fea increases
for the coming
year. The rec-
ommendation is
not followed.

hikes will go ahead.

April 1,

1997: Fee

incraases go
Into effect.

March 4, 1997:

January 14, 1997: Government com-
munications strategy prepared. It rec-
ognizes that there was no public con-
sultation and expects strong criticism
from angling quides, tourism organi-
zations and tourism-related business-
es. It also recognizes that B.C.’s
angling fees will now be higher than
Alaska, Washington State and
Oregon D something environment
minister Cathy McGregor, assistant
deputy minister Don Fast and tourism
minister Jan Pullinger will deny in lat-
er interviews with the Standard.

Communications strategist
Theresa Killoran, in preparing @
press release, tells her bosses
she cannot defend the claim
that anglers have said they
were willing to pay more to

help conservation, since there
had been no consultation on
these specific increases.

March 27, 1997:
Business owners,
guides and anglers
rally outside the
Access Centre in
Terrace to protest the
fee increases and
their possible effects
on tourism. Ladge and
motel owners begin to
report reservation
cancellations.

FROM FRONT

Fishing fee debate
divided bureaucrats |

But internal memos and e-mail indi-
cates ministry staff were well aware
that sharp increases in fees without
the consultation of stakeholders would
create a firestorm of controversy.

That's why many officials within
the ministry suggested deferring the
increases for a year until user groups
were consulted.

‘Tam considering deferring for a
year...I am concemed that we will get
hammered for not consulting with the
Guides,” fisheries director Harvey
Andrusak wrote in an e-mail dated
October 18, 1996. “I expect most of
the noise will come from the Skeena,
but also some from the Cariboo. Fee
increases (for nonresident anglers and
guides) could be quite steep if our
mainister intervenes, which he is likely
to do...”

Regional biologists with the minis-
try agreed with Andrusak’s assess-
ment.

Southern Interior fisheries head Ian
McGregor wrote, ‘‘T do not believe an
increase in NRC and NRA (non resi-
dent fees) is warranted at this time. If
government is adamant about increas-
ing fees a consultative process is re-
quired.”’

Penticton senior biologist Bruce
Shepherd wrote, “If the AGL (guide)
licence fees do increase to the degrec
you are speculating they might, J think
that all but 4 couple of our current and
most established guides will pack it
in,

“If we want to boost angling-
generated revenues and interest in the
fisheries resources by encouraging
guides on unclassified waters, this
wouldn’t be the way to go about it.”

Cariboo regional fisheries biologist
Jack Leggett echoed thase comments,
writing, ‘‘I support deferment if we
cannot have the appropriate dialogue
with the user groups to support the
changes aad do the job correctly.’”

And Skeena senior fisheries
biologist Bob Hooton said fee in-
creases Were Warranted, but saw prob-
lems with ramming them through so
quickly.

On October 18, 1996 he wrote to
Andrusak, ‘‘...(increases) will not go
down well with guides unless we do a
lot of consullation and convincing
there |s something in it for
them...Let’s not forget the chamber of
commerce types whom we haven't
talked to yet about the impact of high-
er user fees on the accommodation
and service folk. All of this argues in
favor of the setback you are con-.
templating."* ,

But that setback never happened,

Top gov't officials
overruled advice to
delay increases

and the user groups were not consul-
ted,

Instead, the higher fees were pushed
through as of April 1 1997. And in an
interview with the Standard in early
April, Environment Minister Cathy
McGregor claimed she was not aware
anyone was worried about the higher
fees.

“I haven't been approached with
any of those concerns,’’ she said.

But clearly somewhere in the
provincial government hierarchy the
decision was made to proceed with
fee increases, in spite of the concerns
of field-workers.

Assistant deputy minister Don Fast
says the ministry looked at several op-
tions and chose what they considered
the mest appropriate.

**The director of fisheries was part
of that process,”’ he told the Standard,
‘The material was prepared by the
ministry. It must also be reviewed by
the minister.”” .

Fast says user groups had been ap-
proached in the past and had sup-
poried fee increases, although he ad-
mits they were tot consulted specifi-

“tt gets protty scary when
people who don’t know a
thing about fish are
making the decisions.”

cally on the increases planned for this
year, At any rate, he said, the ministry
has rolled back the increases for a
yeat.

‘‘Because of (the guide’s) business
cycle there has been a decision in cab-
inet to defer,” he says. ‘‘The minister
has already acknowledged that timing
was too short,’”

But now-retired Harvey Andrusak
tells a decidedly different version of
what happened. He says his recom-
metdation to hold off on the increases
was overruled by Fast.

‘| gave you (Fast) the best advice
and that was to defer,’’ he says. ‘“You
chose to ignore that advice. You are
responsible, not me,”

Andrusak says the ministry was well
aware of the problems a sudden in-
crease in user fees would create. —

“They were well warned ahead of
time,’? he says, ‘‘I simply got over-

ruled by my ADM (assistant deputy
minister). He said proceed with it, Pe-
tiod,’*

And that was simply too much for
Andrusak, who says he didn’t like the
direction the environment ministry
was heading.

Andrusak says his decision to defer
was based on advice from people in
the field and his own judgment. And
he was not happy to sce that decision
overruled by ‘‘thase ott of the loop.”

He has since retired ‘“‘reluctantly’’.

“Tt gets pretty scary when people
who don’t know a thing about fish are
making the decisions,’’ he says.
‘Who should be making the decisions
on fish? If it’s not the director of
fisheries, then who is it?’’

Andrusak had been with the minis-
try for 30 years, including 20 spent in
the field as a regional biologist in the
Kootenays. During his position of
fisheries director he won wide acclaim
for maintaining a world-class fisheries
in the province.

And he isn’t the only top environ-
mieul ministry official to have hit the
road recently, Fisheries deputy direc-
tor Gerry Taylor left, as did urban sal-
mon habitat specialist Eric Bonham
and fisheries resource impacts head
Geolf Chislett.

They were all part of what was
known as the “Thin green line’ of con-
servationists ‘within the ministry,
many of whom have now left.

Given the importance premier Clark
has placed on getting some sort of
US/Canada salmon treaty and the fact
that many salmon stocks are
threatencd, one © would think
Andrusak’s position would have been
filled by another knowledgeable,
senior official.

In fact, the position is still empty.
There hasn’t been a director of
fisheries for months,

Don Fast makes no apologies for the
current lack of a fisheries leader. He
says he has looked at some resumes
and meanwhile’ the ministry is
“‘funclioning satisEactorily.’’

And he seems to resent any hint that
Andrusak was helped out the door.

“T don’t think that’s an appropriate
question,” he says. “‘It was a mutual
agreementt,””

Andrusak admits be left voluntarily,
but adds, ‘they were ina real hurry to
getime out.”

“I could have stayed and been a
yes-tnan but that’s not me,’’ he says,
“Pm concerned for the rest of the
staff. They must feel really isolated,
This ministry is simply not interested
in fish and wildlife.”

GREE (a

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