By Vanessa Broadbent
Osoyoos Times
After a long, and prolonged wait, Parks Canada announced on Monday the launch of its public consultation process for the proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan.
However, instead of the open house meetings minister of environment and climate change and overseer of Parks Canada Catherine McKenna said would take place when she visited Osoyoos in August, feedback will be gathered online via an online survey and forum.
It’s unclear how the feedback will be used and Parks Canada has not clearly said if an overwhelming, or even subtle, response for any opinion about the park’s implementation will influence decisions made.
All that was said, in a news release, was that feedback will be released in a “What We Heard” report and the findings will “inform future recommendations” regarding the park.
The national park reservation’s opposition group has been vocal about its stance; it’s impossible to drive through the South Okanagan without seeing multiple “No National Park” signs and a protest was also held in late August at a meeting hosted by MP Richard Cannings.
It’s no doubt more public demonstrations would arise should Parks Canada host public consultation sessions in-person and open to the general public, which would likely result in significant provincial, if not national, media coverage about the local controversy surrounding the park.
But by avoiding in-person consultations all together, it seems as if Parks Canada is also avoiding potential negative publicity, while sacrificing multiple and fair opportunities for all South Okanagan residents to not only give their feedback on the park reserve, but directly ask their questions as well.
