Why Outdoor Recreation Needs a Stronger Commitment in BC’s 2026 Budget
Destination BC and Kari Medig image
Outdoor recreation is one of British Columbia’s most powerful public assets. It fuels local economies, supports public health, and strengthens community well-being across the province. From rural tourism and small businesses to recreation-based jobs and volunteer programs, outdoor recreation generates economic value at every level. At the same time, it plays a vital role in helping people stay active, reduce stress, and connect with nature, benefits that are essential to a healthier, more resilient population.
But while demand is growing, the system that supports outdoor recreation is under serious strain. Aging infrastructure, limited access in high-population areas, deteriorating trails, and over-reliance on volunteer groups put long-term sustainability at risk. Without strategic investment, BC’s outdoor recreation network will continue to fall behind, limiting economic opportunity and leaving many British Columbians without equitable access to the outdoors.
This week, the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC) submitted its recommendations to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for Budget 2026. Our message is clear: the Province must invest in the infrastructure, partnerships, and planning capacity needed to sustain and grow BC’s outdoor recreation economy and to ensure these spaces remain accessible, inclusive, and resilient.
Here’s what we’re asking for in Budget 2026
✅ Invest in outdoor recreation infrastructure
Create a new $30 million/year fund to build, maintain, and plan trails, campsites, and recreation sites, along with sustained funding for BC Parks and Recreation Sites and Trails BC. Deliver the fund in partnership with local communities, Indigenous governments, and volunteer groups to ensure investments are coordinated, community-driven, and equitably distributed.
✅ Fix access roads
Establish a dedicated annual funding stream to maintain key forest service roads and supporting infrastructure like bridges and culverts, critical for accessing parks, trailheads, and backcountry areas. Work with local governments, Indigenous partners, and recreation groups to prioritize key routes, clarify responsibility for road maintenance, and involve the public in deactivation decisions.
✅ Expand the Outdoor Recreation Fund of BC
Administered by ORCBC, this fund provides grants for community-led projects that create and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities across BC. It also helps build local capacity, particularly in rural areas. With only 15% of applications funded to date, we’re calling for an additional $5 million annually over three years to meet growing demand.
Outdoor recreation is not a luxury; it’s a foundation for a healthier, stronger, and more connected British Columbia. It improves physical and mental health, helps rural economies thrive, and builds a sense of belonging and stewardship across communities.
Read our full Budget 2026 submission below, and join us in calling for the investments needed to secure the future of outdoor recreation in BC.
We invite community members, recreation organizations, businesses, and local governments to support this call for action before Friday, June 20, at 2 pm PT - and to help ensure that outdoor recreation is recognized and funded as a core contributor to BC’s economy and quality of life.
Budget 2026 submission from the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC
The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC is a charitable organization representing over 100 member associations and nonprofits, paddlers, hikers, mountain bikers, snowmobilers, equestrians, and sport fishers, together representing more than 200,000 outdoor recreationists across the province. We advocate for public access to BC’s outdoors, promote responsible recreation, and unify diverse user groups to represent their interests to government.
This summer, BC is bracing for an expected surge in outdoor recreation use. With more British Columbians opting for local adventures and international visitors returning, the pressure on trails, campsites, and recreation areas continues to grow. Yet the infrastructure supporting these experiences is often outdated, overcrowded, or deteriorating, and in many cases, maintained by under-resourced, volunteer-run organizations.
Years of underinvestment and a lack of coordinated planning have left BC’s outdoor recreation system reactive rather than proactive. There is no overarching framework to guide trail and site development, manage visitor impacts, or align recreation with conservation and other land uses. As a result, many high-use areas remain underdeveloped or overstressed, and local recreation stewards lack the support needed to plan for the future.
While BC Parks and Recreation Sites and Trails BC have made important temporary gains, those improvements are at risk without sustained investment and a long-term vision.
This challenge is especially pressing given Destination BC’s Invest in Iconics strategy, which places outdoor experiences at the heart of the province’s tourism identity. If outdoor recreation is a key feature of BC’s brand, we must also invest in the infrastructure, planning, and partnerships that make those experiences possible.
Outdoor recreation is one of BC’s most valuable public assets. It supports community health, rural economies, climate resilience, and civic connection. But the current system is falling behind. The Province must act now to modernize infrastructure, support community stewards, and build the planning capacity needed for a more sustainable and inclusive outdoor recreation system.
Priority recommendations for Budget 2026
Recommendation #1: Establish an Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Fund and Expand Community Investment
Introduction:
BC’s outdoor recreation system is under pressure from growing public demand, undermaintained trails and infrastructure, and overreliance on volunteer-run groups. Strategic, long-term investment is needed to expand access, improve infrastructure, support rural economies, and ensure volunteer organizations have the tools and resources they need to keep the system running.
Recommendation:
Establish a $30 million/year provincial Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Fund over five years, administered by the province, to support the development, maintenance, and sustainability of trails, canoe launch areas, campsites, and recreation sites.
Deliver the fund in partnership with local communities, Indigenous governments, and volunteer groups to ensure coordinated, equitable investment
Allocate funding to non-profit capacity building, led by ORCBC, including training, planning support, governance development, and tools to foster stronger collaboration with governments, Indigenous partners, and other stakeholders.
Expand the Outdoor Recreation Fund of BC by $5 million annually for three years to meet strong demand for community-led, shovel-ready projects. To date, only 15% of eligible proposals have been funded. Expanding the fund would directly support the volunteer groups doing the work on the ground.
Iinvest in a coordinated provincial recreation data initiativeto generate consistent, credible information about outdoor recreation’s economic impact, job creation and participation trends, bringing the sector in line with others such as forestry, tourism, and mining. The data generated will support better decision-making at all levels and benefit both government and community partners.
Recommendation #2: Strengthen the Parks and Recreation Program (Ministry of Environment and Parks)
Introduction:
For more than two decades, BC’s parks, recreation sites, and trails were chronically underfunded. This long-term neglect meant few new opportunities were developed, and much of the existing infrastructure deteriorated due to inadequate maintenance. During the same period, BC’s population grew by over 1.3 million, nearly half of it in Metro Vancouver, while urban densification and a steady rise in international tourism significantly increased demand for access to parks, green spaces, and outdoor recreation across the province. The result is a system stretched beyond its capacity, struggling to meet the needs of a growing, increasingly diverse public.
A much-celebrated funding boost to BC Parks in 2021 ($84 million) and BC Parks and RSTBC in 2023 ($71 million) helped turn things around after years of underinvestment and neglect. That money, carrying through to 2025/26, made a real difference. It allowed BC Parks to add campsites, trails, and day-use areas, improve accessibility in some spots, upgrade old water and septic systems, hire more staff, and repair parks hit by wildfires and floods. RSTBC was able to fill critical staffing gaps, fund 13 seasonal crews for 3 years to re-open recreation sites, keep established sites open and maintain some rail trails and routes.
But without continued investment of a similar scale, $20 million annually for BC Parks and $10 million for RSTBC, the progress made in recent years is at risk. If the funding doesn’t continue, infrastructure will deteriorate, access improvements will stall, and the system won’t keep up with what communities need.
Recommendation:
Commit to a $30 million annual investment increase to maintain momentum and meet public demand:
$10 million annually for Recreation Sites and Trails BC (RSTBC) to maintain core service levels, continue trail and site upgrades, extend the successful seasonal maintenance crew program, and support upkeep of BC’s 475,000 km of rail trails.
$20 million annually for BC Parks to address operational pressures, improve backcountry and frontcountry visitor infrastructure, and advance reconciliation with Indigenous partners.
Dedicated funding to implement the forthcoming BC Outdoor Recreation Strategy and support coordinated, long-term planning across the province.
Recommendation #3: Improve Access to Outdoor Recreation via Forest Service Roads
Introduction:
Access to many of BC’s parks, trails, and recreation sites depends on Forest Service Roads (FSRs) and other resource roads. Yet no agency currently holds a clear mandate or dedicated funding to maintain them for public use. Approximately 70 provincial parks and countless recreation sites rely on roads originally built for industrial purposes, mainly forestry. When those roads are no longer needed for resource extraction, they are often deactivated or left to deteriorate.
When Recreation Sites and Trails BC (RSTBC) was part of the Ministry of Forests, some roads were maintained to provide access to trailheads and recreation sites. Today, without dedicated funding and with unclear responsibility, many are falling into disrepair or closing altogether due to washouts, failed culverts, and unsafe bridges.
Recommendation: Create a dedicated annual funding stream to maintain and repair key access roads and supporting infrastructure like bridges and culverts.
Efforts should include:
Prioritizing critical recreation access routes in collaboration with local governments, Indigenous partners, and recreation groups
Clarifying agency responsibility for road maintenance and recreation access
Engage the public transparently in road deactivation decisions, recognizing the long-term social, cultural, and economic value many of these roads provide to recreation users and communities.