National park plan concerns

Dear editor: I’m a landowner in the Willowbrook area who lives within the proposed national park reserve boundaries.

My family, and many families like mine, are extremely concerned about the effects a national park or national park reserve could have on our lives.

I’ve heard it claimed that the national park proposal has 70 per cent support from the public. I’m not sure which segment of the population was surveyed, but it certainly wasn’t the local one.

Those of us who stand to be most deeply affected by the park are almost unequivocally against it. Most of us are not ranchers or others with a financial interest in the land other than its resale value – we are simply people who make our homes and raise our children here.

A read through the National Park Act reveals that we may lose the rights to build or otherwise use our land or operate a small business, lose access to areas we’ve respectfully used for years, and lose the right to keep livestock or domestic animals...not to mention the effects on property value.

I understand the need to conserve rare and sensitive ecosystems in our area, as well as traditional First Nations land uses. But most of these areas are already protected under provincial jurisdiction, and there are hundreds of common people whose lives will be changed if a national park becomes a reality.

And here’s the thing: no one really knows all the potential impacts this could have on our families. Even our politicians openly admit they’re not sure where all this is headed (though I suspect they know more than they say).

With each successive government that arrives and every bit of legislation that passes, our lives stand to be irrevocably altered. Beginning the process opens the door – there’s no going back.

My husband and I invested in our property understanding that it will allow us to raise our family