The South Okanagan-Similkameen grasslands are the site of a proposed national park. Municipalities voted in support of a resolution sponsored by Osoyoos calling on the provincial government to return to talks aimed at establishing the park. (Richard McGuire photo)
Municipal politicians from across the province last week voted to support the Town of Osoyoos in calling on the provincial government to resume talks aimed at establishing a national park.
Mayor Stu Wells is celebrating the passage of Resolution B-122 at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention in Whistler on Friday.
“The park is a win-win situation,” said Wells. “This is overwhelming support.”
Osoyoos has been leading efforts to bring the province back to talks with the federal government aimed at establishing a park in the grasslands of South Okanagan-Similkameen.
The Liberal provincial government abruptly pulled away from talks early in 2012 and MLA Linda Larson is opposed to a national park.
Osoyoos supports a national park both because of the economic boost that tourism would bring and because the park would protect endangered species and a unique habitat.
The resolution didn’t get debated on the floor, Wells said, adding that instead it was bundled with several other resolutions that were passed together to save time.
Wells said he had been looking forward to a debate.
Nonetheless, the resolution committee that vets all the resolutions endorsed it as one for delegates to support, Wells said.
George Bush, the Area B director representing Cawston on the board of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) said he was disappointed the resolution wasn’t split so that he could speak against it. A majority of delegates opposed removing it from the bundle, he said.
“I was very disappointed they didn’t allow me a chance to talk to it,” Bush said. “I oppose the national park taking away from agricultural land… I would have said that there’s thousands of acres that are already protected through the provincial government and through Nature Trust that they purchased.”
Much of the land is prime food producing land, he said, adding that ranchers depend on the rangeland.
“The main reason the Town of Osoyoos wants a national park is just for tourism,” said Bush. “We would be trading our food producing lands just for tourism and I don’t agree with that.”
Wells was the only Osoyoos elected representative at the conference, but he said he had the support of council.
Staff from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-BC) was also there to urge delegates to support the resolution.
“We did some pretty big lobbying there,” said Wells, noting that CPAWS-BC produced a colour brochure, a bookmark and a video to promote the park. Wells narrates and appears in the four-minute video that was sent to all the delegates.
The video was produced about a week before the convention, Wells said.
The resolution follows ones by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association also calling for the province to resume talks. The proposed park also is supported by the Okanagan Nation Alliance.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
