After eight years of fees, parking at Cultus Lake, Chilliwack Lake and Sasquatch provincial parks is now free.

Premier Christy Clark announced the free parking on Tuesday at all B.C. provincial parks as part of B.C. Parks centennial celebrations.

"The parking meters are coming out and parking will be free, effective immediately, so that British Columbia's parks are even more welcoming for families," Clark said in a press release. "Our parks not only contribute to a healthy lifestyle and protect our environment, they are important to our economy. More park visitors mean more tourism dollars and more jobs for rural British Columbians, and we want to eliminate any barriers to using the parks."

Paid parking at provincial parks has long been controversial, but the government argued the estimated $1 million a year in revenue was needed to pay for park rangers, programs and maintenance.

But a 2006 report commissioned by then Environment Minister Barry Penner--only released when the Western Canada Wilderness Committee (WCWC) filed a freedom of information request--said that the parking fees missed revenue targets, had low public compliance and scared away millions of park visitors since introduced in 2003.

In that year, revenues for the parking meters were $51,000, which rose steadily to the nearly $1 million in 2005. But the 2006 report found that number didn't take into account nearly $700,000 in commissions to private operators of the meters, amortized costs of installation and B.C. Parks staff time.