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.