Potential aircraft restrictions may affect local businesses

By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG

BC Parks is considering new aircraft restrictions in parks across the province which may impact local helicopter operators. The restrictions, which have not yet been implemented, were proposed in an effort to protect local caribou populations, the Ministry of Environment and Parks told The Goat.

Heliski operator and owner of Crescent Spur Helicopter Holidays Mark Aubrey raised this issue to McBride Council’s attention with a letter reviewed during the June 10th council meeting. The company operates in the Bowron Lake, Ptarmigan Lake and West Twin provincial parks, which would be subject to the proposed restrictions, according to Aubrey.

“If implemented as proposed, these restrictions would severely limit Crescent Spur’s access to key alpine areas,” Aubrey wrote. “This would have immediate and lasting consequences for our business, and by extension, for the broader McBride economy.”

In a follow-up interview with The Goat, Aubrey said the land he uses in these parks is not part of caribou habitat. He added that he’s been in touch with a wildlife biologist from Prince George, Steve Wilson, who can confirm this. The Goat reached out to Wilson to ask if he has seen caribou in the parks, but did not receive a response by press time.

“The areas we use in the parks are high, glaciated terrain. They are not caribou habitat,” Aubrey said. 

Skiing on glaciers is a hallmark feature of the business, according to Aubrey – he has a roster of loyal clientele, some of whom say trips into provincial parks are their favourite runs to ski. By his estimate, the aircraft restrictions would cut out about 30 per cent of the glaciated terrain the company can access.

“A lot of these runs I would consider iconic Crescent Spur runs, runs that have helped us form a reputation,” Aubrey said. “So the loss would be big.”

Having operated for over 35 years, Helicopter Holidays pre-dates the existence of these parks. When the land became incorporated into the BC Parks system, Crescent Spur Helicopter Holidays was grandfathered in – meaning the company could continue operating under the land tenures which allowed them to use aircraft in the area.

“There was a public planning process that I was part of, called the Robson Valley Land and Resource Management Plan. It was a public, consensus-based decision-making process,” Aubrey said. “That’s one of [my] frustrations: to go through a public land use planning process, come to an agreement, and then Parks arbitrarily decides that they want to change the policy.”

However, Aubrey said the Ministry of Environment and Parks has been discussing the restrictions with him and other stakeholders. While he said he can’t predict what they will do with his feedback, he said he’s been happy with the communications.

In an email to The Goat, the Ministry of Environment confirmed that aircraft restrictions are being considered in some provincial parks. However, it declined to comment on whether caribou are found in glaciated parts of the parks, and did not specify which parks are being considered for aircraft restrictions.

“In 2020, the Province and the federal government signed an agreement to better protect habitat for Southern Mountain Caribou. BC Parks is looking at opportunities to contribute to improved protections in Southern Mountain Caribou habitat,” the statement reads. “In a few parks where intensive aircraft-based activities overlap with critical habitat for the Southern Group of Southern Mountain Caribou, a regulatory change is one option that is being explored.”

The Ministry did not respond to questions about when the changes would be implemented.

In the meantime, Aubrey is preparing an economic impact assessment to collect data on how his business would be affected by aircraft restrictions. He hopes he will be able to continue running his business the same way he’s done for the last 35 years.

“The opportunity I have to create this heliski business is a privilege. To have access to Crown land has been a privilege, and I don’t take that lightly,” Aubrey said. “In return for that privilege, I’ve done my part. I worked hard my entire career, and it’s frustrating that that can be changed for a policy.”