A proposed national park reserve in the southern interior of B.C. that’s been mired in controversy for years appears to be a step closer to becoming reality.
On Tuesday morning, Parks Canada held a conference call “regarding an update on the proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan-Similkameen.”
The half-hour conference call touched on several topics, though the main takeaway was that Parks Canada, the B.C. government and the Okanagan Nation Alliance hope to initiate consultations this fall and “make recommendations to our respective governments on a park concept, including a final boundary, by late spring, early summer (of 2019) so that an announcement could be made shortly thereafter.”
Parks Canada says no definitieve boundaries have been set, but the park reserve would generally stretch, in parts, from Okanagan Falls at the north end to the U.S. border at Washington state.
Kevin McNamee, director of protected areas establishment for Parks Canada, began the call by discussing what happened last fall.
“The federal minister of climate change, who’s also the minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, joined with British Columbia’s minister of environment and climate change strategy, as well as with the chiefs of the Okanagan Nation, in announcing last October a recommitment to work together to establish a national park in the South Okanagan-Similkameen,” said McNamee.
“This was an importance announcement, not only given the fact that it was about moving forward after a seven-year hiatus on the project, but that also it’s the first time that the three parties are working together. Since that time, Parks Canada, the B.C. government and the First Nations have undertaken number of activities, including assembling our respective project teams. Again, a bit of a challenge because there was this seven-year hiatus.
“We have been, on a regular basis, responding to questions from individuals and organzations. These are individuals and organzations that have raised concerns, sought clarification, expressed their views for or against the park.”
McNamee said Parks Canada has started to prepare a park concept, including looking at potential boundaries, and that Parks Canada has started reaching out to stakeholders, organizations and ranchers so that “we can start to engage with them face to face.”
The proposed park reserve has proponents and opponents, though more seem to be in favour of it. According to one survey, 65 to 76 per cent of residents approve of the park reserve concept.
On Tuesday, McNamee said of the southern component, one third is private ranchland, a third is provincial protected areas with the last third being crown land. He added that tenures the ranchers have extend beyond their properties.
“It’s something that we are focused on, something we are committed to, working with the ranching community,” he said. “I really want to stress that we are asked from time to time if we whether we would engage in expropriation, and I want to make it absolutely clear that Parks Canada will not be undertaking any expropriation of private land or interest.
“And indeed, if you look at the Canada National Parks Act, when parliament amended it in 2000, it was made clear that you cannot establish a national park or expand a national park or a national park reserve using the powers of expropriation.”
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