Dear Editor:

George Bowering’s response to my recent letter in the Osoyoos Times chooses to ignore every important issue about the national park debate.

In my letter, I asked for a rational discussion but what we received from Mr. Bowering was a dishonest attack on the ethics and values of the Osoyoos Wildlife Federation as he called us a group of armed men who like to kill animals.

Comments like this only serve to divide our community into enemy camps that take cheap shots at each other.

It said nothing about how the national park would serve us better than the provincial parks.

Readers of this publication deserve better.

Bowering goes on to say I am vague on who the special interests are in favour of the national park.

In my previous letters to the editor, I made it very clear the special interests in this case are Parks Canada and First Nations.

Both are very clear and honest about the fact they want to control our provincial parks and turn them into a federal park and allow First Nations to manage it, hunt and trap in it, while refusing non-First Nations the same privileges. They would also prevent handicapped persons from accessing these public lands with their ATV’s.

These are open and direct policy statements that should be discussed intelligently. Bowering prefers to talk about irrelevant and disparaging issues like “armed men knocking on his door scaring people.”

Bowering also says the Federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration provides free services to immigrants who wish to settle in the Banff area.

This, he says, is proof Parks Canada will listen to our concerns about our parks.

What Citizenship and Immigration has to do with listening to the residents of Banff on the operation of their park is a mystery?

I am aware he is a prolific writer, but his logic is puzzling.

Let’s talk about the major issues like provincial versus federal jurisdiction of our parks and First Nations control of our parks and whether or not special rights are good for some and not for others.

Parks Canada and First Nations have those issues on the table in plain sight.

Why not talk about them directly?

Aubrey G. White

Past president, Osoyoos Wildlife Federation