Crown Land: Indicators and Statistics - Ministry of Forests

GDP produced by forestry support services occurs on
Land Act Crown land and 72% occurs on all Crown
land; thus, in 2006, forest support services on Crown
land contributed $0.3 billion to the provincial GDP.
When the two forest sector components of GDP
are combined, the proportion of the forestry GDP
produced on Land Act Crown land in 2006 was
2%, or $0.1 billion. The proportion of forestry GDP
produced on all Crown land was 93%, or $2.9 billion.
The forestry sector’s GDP contribution declined from
2002 to 2006.
Utilities and pipelines sector
The total utilities and pipelines sector contribution to
provincial GDP in 2006 was $3.7 billion. The utilities
and pipelines sector is a grouping of four NAICS subsectors:
electricity power generation, transmission
and distribution accounts for 50% to 60% of the
sector GDP; pipeline transportation of natural gas
accounts for 20% to 40%; pipeline transportation of
crude oil and other products accounts for 4% to 7%;
and distribution systems for natural gas, water and
other substances accounts for 5% to 20%.
Based on the sector dependence on Crown land it
is estimated that 11% of the GDP produced by the
electricity generation, transmission and distribution
sub-sector is produced on Land Act Crown land and
63% on all Crown land. 44
Estimates for the pipelines sub-sector are as follows:
83% of major natural gas pipelines’ GDP is produced
on provincial Crown land; and 66% of major oil
and other product pipelines’ GDP is produced on
provincial Crown land. For the distribution networks
44 Source: BC Hydro GIS data on the footprint of reservoirs,
facilities and buildings and distribution lines; BC Transmission
Corporation GIS data on transmission lines. Estimates of the
proportions of Crown and private ownership by Bob Penney,
BC Hydro, pers.comm. March 2010 and MFLNRO authors. If
the alternative definition of Crown land is used and the land
held in fee simple by BC Hydro and the Columbia Power
Corporation are included as Crown land then the proportion
of GDP from this sector produced on Crown land rises slightly
to 58%.
for natural gas, water and other products, the figure
is around 12%.
Overall, the proportion of the utilities and pipelines
sector GDP produced on Land Act Crown land is
estimated at 27%, while the estimate for all Crown
land is 57%. In 2006, this amounted to a GDP
contribution of $1.0 billion for Land Act Crown land
and $2.1 billion for all Crown land. There have only
been small fluctuations in utility sector GDP from
2002 to 2006.
Public service sector
The total public service sector contribution to
provincial GDP in 2006 was $23.3 billion. The sector
is made up of five principle sub-sectors: education
sub-sectors contributing around 35% of sector GDP;
health sub-sectors contributing around 29%; the
federal government contributing around 14%, the
provincial government contributing 11%; and local
government contributing 11%.
Under the definition of Crown land used in this report
(excluding the areas of land held in fee simple by
independent Crown agencies), only the Crown land
utilized by the provincial government is considered
here. This includes land owned in fee simple by the
provincial government (other than independent
agencies). The share of provincial government GDP
attributable to public service sector activities on all
Crown land is estimated at 55% or $1.3 billion; only
a minor fraction of this is attributable to Land Act
Crown land. 45
45 If the alternative definition of Crown land is used and the land
held in fee simple by the independent provincial educational
and health agencies are included as Crown land then the
proportion of GDP from this sector that is produced on Crown
land rises to 57% and the GDP attributable to Crown land
rises from $1.3 billion to $11.9 billion.
Ministry of
Forests, Lands and
Natural Resource Operations
49