Parks Canada to provide regular updates
Parks Canada is committing to meeting regularly with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen as the lengthy negotiations continue for the proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan.
There was not much in the way of new information for the public and board directors during Thursday’s meeting of the regional district’s environment and infrastructure committee. Parks Canada provided one minor update in August which included a working boundary map which was mailed out to residents in or near the affected area and shared with local media.
Sarah Boyle, Parks Canada project manager for the proposed park reserve, told the RDOS she is planning to update the regional district either quarterly or bi-annually on park reserve negotiations. The current focus of negotiations is working collaboratively with Indigenous communities.
“Including employment, training, contracting, dispute resolution, conservation-based eco-tourism, healthy sustainable tourism. Exploring ways ultimately that the Syilx Nation and Parks Canada land management systems can co-exist with one another moving forward and looking at cooperative management,” Boyle said.
Parks Canada has received many questions surrounding grazing, water rights, helicopter access and other land-use issues, however, the negotiations have not reached that point yet, Boyle said.
“First we really need to deal with the issues with the Syilx Nation as well as the Province of B.C.. Upon that point then we can focus to other provisions related to land management, grazing, water management and mining boundary adjustments,” Boyle said. “At that point the appropriate representatives and impacted stakeholders will be updated on progress and engaged in discussion when appropriate.”
Area C (Rural Oliver) director Rick Knodel posed questions surround mineral land claims and fire protection to Boyle, noting they would probably require some research to answer and would likely be on the agenda at a future meeting.
While the site of last month’s Christie Mountain wildfire southeast of Penticton is well outside the proposed park area, Knodel said it could have been a different story if Parks Canada was managing the fire.
“In light of the Christie Mountain fire I have to make it clear that had Christie Mountain been inside this proposed park Heritage Hills would look considerably different today along with possibly a good chunk of east Penticton,” Knodel said. “Sarah is aware there is a delay involved with the reporting. Our first meeting was at a fire hall where she explained reporting procedure for a wildfire in a national parks area.”
Parks Canada has been in discussions with staff at the province’s Southeast Fire Centre as well as Penticton and Summerland fire chiefs.
“Everyone looked at having more fire resources as a positive. Each area is managed based on what its fire risk is and we all know the Okanagan and Similkameen have a lot of fire risk,” Boyle said. “And working with particularly the Lower Similkameen Indian Band making sure that traditional ecological knowledge and traditional fire practices are integrated as well.”
Another issue Knodel put forward was the multiple mineral claims that currently exist in the proposed park boundary, and he stated in his discussions only two claim holders have been approached by Parks Canada.
“I talked to a number of the claim owners in this area and they are not aware of this agreement. So they are a little concerned about that,” Knodel said, adding that a section of the National Parks Act does indicate expropriation can occur for non-Indigenous land.
“The trust issue is kind of like the scorpion and the frog and I’m not about to have the scorpion on my back until we’ve satisfied the trust issue on expropriation. That’s something moving forward we will have to deal with,” Knodel said.
Parks Canada has stated for years there will be no expropriation of land for the South Okanagan park, only acquiring land on a “willing seller, willing buyer” basis.
Boyle said Parks Canada is currently contracting a company to complete mineral evaluation analysis.
“That has been communicated to the major mineral hold claimers and the remaining of those, I think there’s 15 in total,” Boyle said.
Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff reiterated her support for the park reserve at Thursday’s meeting, noting the small land concern put to Parks Canada last week which involves Crown and provincial Crown lands near the Town of Osoyoos boundary.
“I’m a strong proponent of the national park, always have been and I think you have done an amazing job so far of listening to people’s concerns and continuing to deal with them,” McKortoff said.
Parks Canada has been in early discussions with Town of Osoyoos staff on the issue, Boyle said.
The roughly 273-square kilometre park reserve has been the subject of debate and animosity for residents and surrounding communities dating back 18 years. The current working boundary is not final, Parks Canada has stated, and negotiations are expected to be a lengthy process.