Sarah Boyle, a Project Manager with Parks Canada (shown right), brought her message to Osoyoos Council this morning, encouraging residents to engage in a consultation process that  ends February 28th

“This is the opportunity as members of the local community to have your say,” she told Council before working through an extensive review of the proposed park’s key aspects, boundaries and impacts on the local communities — including ALR land and ranching, hunting, helicopter and guiding tenures.

“We’re in public consultation right now so this is really the opportunity for the public to provide feedback, comments, concerns to help really shape what this parks proposal will look like going forward,” she said after the meeting.

Live Link

Parks Canada has set up a consultation process website that allows registered users learn more about the park-reserve plan, provide their feedback through a survey and participate in an ongoing public forum.

 

 

“We’re pushing over 1,000 right now,” she said of the number of responses returned. “We’ve been handling a lot more of these forms out than we’re getting in, so we’ll be accepting forms that are mailed in and post-dated February 28.”

All of the info sent will show postal codes: what is local and what is not she said.

Residents can also get more information online or by contacting Parks Canada at 833-837-7535.

Some of the points covered in the presentation:

A park reserve is different than a park- in a park reserve there is and can be a collaborative approach to governance including cooperation with indigenous peoples and their government.

Local ownership of land inside the NPR and adjacent to is respected. Parks Canada will co-operate with ranchers and those that have tenure of crown land in the area.

The process to full PARK status could take another 15 years.

Expected increase of tourist stays here is minimal – about 3000 more per year with limited impact on police services.

Home values have gone up near National Parks

No land is ever expropriated – it can be purchased by Parks Canada only if the owner makes an overture to indicate a sale is possible.

Fishing is allowed in a NPR – hunting and guiding is NOT. Use of recreational vehicles off road is governed by the provincial government.

Parks Canada will cooperate with the BC Government and local authorizes on fire suppression and fire smart policies to prevent and retard fire spread.

A Tribute to Wilma Jean Corriveau

October 14  1939 – January 30  2019

 

 

Wilma was the second born of Wally and Kay Smith. I will refer to Kay Smith as Auntie Kay even though she was the mother of Wilma.

My first recollection of Wilma was when she and my youngest sister were trying to give me a bath. It became a game when I jumped out of the tub and ran to my bedroom with them chasing me. They caught me and returned me to the tub. Then I jumped out again and the chase began. I remember much laughter with the effort.

My next memory was when she was making fudge. She had the thermometer in the hot  fudge and was fussing over getting the temperature right. Her fudge was always so delicious!

Wilma completed her grade 12 at the Oliver high school, and stayed on one more year to complete her grade 13, which was a trial program offered by the school district. Upon completion of that year, Wilma went on to the teachers college in Victoria for another year and then went straight into teaching. Her first posting was at Quesnel where she stayed for three years.

During one of her summers off, she and some of her friends, Sue, Muriel, and Robin, went across North America by Greyhound bus. At the Plains of Abraham, they were kicked off the historical grounds for being disrespectful, they were wearing shorts, a despicable act for women in Quebec at that time!

They were delayed at the US/Canadian border because Sue claimed that she was a retired bank teller. Unknown to the girls, there had been a bank robbery locally and the Border officials  were watching for signs of inconsistencies in people crossing the border.

In the larger American cities they stayed at the YWCA’s. It was very hot that summer and none of the accommodations had air conditioning.

Wilma accepted a teaching position at Fort St John. The school district provided housing for the unmarried teachers. The teacherage had a maintenance man who Wilma met and eventually married.

She ended her teaching career to stay home and have babies. She gave birth to three boys. As they grew she ferried them around to speed skating and hockey. In 1981, she organised and directed the National Speed Skating Championships and the National Team trials in Fort St John.

Shortly after her first son was born, the two of them boarded a Greyhound bus and travelled to Oliver and visited with Wally and Auntie Kay on their tree fruit farm. That was the beginning of the summer trips with the boys to enjoy the grand parents as well as the bounty provided by the fruit farm.

When the three sons graduated from school and went on to seek their fame and fortune, Wilma went on to restart her teaching career in Fort St John where she taught for twelve more years. Meantime she bought a house in Oliver in anticipation of retiring there. Upon her retirement and sale of her Fort St John house, she moved to Oliver in 1993.

Wilma was an avid bird watcher or birder as they are known in the industry. She and my older sister birded in Panama, United States, Belize, Cuba, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Ecuador to name a few.

In 1998 I began house sitting for Wilma while she went birding.

Wilma also voluntarily managed the Oliver Red Cross equipment depot for ten years. At one time she had fourteen volunteers working with her.

After resigning her position with the Red Cross, she began volunteering with the English Second Language (ESL) program offered by the Okanagan College, and tutored local ESL adult students.

Wilma was a very accepting and hospitable person. When my wife and I showed up at her door she always had a smile and welcomed us into her house. For the past two summers we have commandeered her house to can peaches, of course we canned peaches for her too. She didn’t ever complain about the mess we made or the commotion we caused.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations go to  the South Okanagan Raptor Rehabilitation Society.

The memorial will be held on Saturday  Feb 9^th,  11 am to 4pm,  at Medici’s , address 572 Fairview Rd, Oliver. Interment of ashes to follow.

Check out this Live Link

First and foremost the plan identifies that the Osoyoos Community has a lot to be proud of in the operations of the fire department. Strengths exist in the facilities, equipment, recent restructuring of governance and the commitment of the fire fighter to the paid on call system. The Plan identifies issues the consultants feel must be addressed and has developed a schedule of priorities.

The Study identifies that the changing nature of society’s views of volunteerism, the fire service environment and the expectations of the community have placed demands on the fire department resulting in a need to move to the next level of operations. This was the general impression of the fire department officers, town administration and council prior to the Study. The in-depth and professional content of the Study provides credence to the assumptions that were lead to implementing the study.
Included in the changing environment are the need to ensure greater attention to the training and safety of the fire fighters and their work environment, now and in the future; ensure compliance with all regulatory statues that impact fire services; closer attention to the regulatory statutes; and the professional assessment of facility operations and capital equipment purchase and maintenance.

A few of the key recommendation of the study that are going have budget and operations impacts in this current and future years include:

• Hiring a full time fire chief

LIVE LINK

To the official presentation

You like to see a park or a park reserve?

You like to keep our ways the same?

Will Park Reserve bring more $$$$ to the area
Will Park Reserve cost more $$$$ – borne by you and not Ottawa

Have you made your thoughts known? = Pro or Con
Read the presentation on the LIVE link above

Presentation of Sarah Boyle – This morning at 9 am at Osoyoos Council Chambers
Presentation of Sarah Boyle – This week – Thursday at 1 pm at RDOS Board Room – Penticton
Presentation of Sarah Boyle – February 11 Oliver Council Chambers 7 pm

Tickets to the Saturday February 16th dance with Juno Winner Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne trio are on sale at the ELKS Lounge.

ELKS members can each get 2 tickets for $20 each.

Regular tickets can also be purchased for $25.00 each at the ELKS Lounge or

at Sundance Video.