Remember to buy your new BC Parks licence plate

By Contributor

All net proceeds from the sale and ongoing renewals of BC Parks licence plates will be re-invested back into provincial parks through the Park Enhancement Fund.

The public is encouraged to purchase their new BC Parks plates at Autoplan broker offices starting Monday, and show their support for provincial parks through images of a Kermode Bear, Purcell Mountains or scenic Porteau Cove.

In partnership with the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the specialty licence plates were unveiled by Environment Minister Mary Polak and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone in Vancouver earlier this month.

The licence plates allow motorists to show their support, while ensuring BC Parks has additional funds to invest in new programs and improvements.

All net proceeds from the sale and ongoing renewals of BC Parks licence plates will be re-invested back into provincial parks through the Park Enhancement Fund, a transparent account where revenues enhance programs or services in provincial parks beyond the core services provided by government.

The BC Parks specialty plates cost $50.00 for the initial purchase, and $40.00 for each annual renewal. The licence plates all depict scenes from B.C.’s parks and recreation areas:

• The Kermode Bear, a rare subspecies of black bear found only in British Columbia;
• The Purcell Mountains, which make up the natural backdrop of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park and Protected Area, spanning north to Bugaboo Provincial Park  in the interior region, and
• Porteau Cove, a picturesque view overlooking Howe Sound from the popular waterfront Porteau Cove Provincial Park along the South Coast.

To view the three licence plate designs, please visit: www.icbc.com/bcparksplates

The new specialty plates are part of the BC Parks Future Strategy, announced by Premier Christy Clark on Nov. 28, 2016. Within the strategy, the Province is investing $22.9 million to build 1,900 new campsites, is seeding a new BC Parks Foundation with a $5-million endowment, and will be allocating funding in 2017 for other recreation and conservation initiatives, including hiring more park rangers.