Public consultations on a proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan “will begin in the near future,” Parks Canada told the Osoyoos Times last week.

“The overall focus of the consultations is the boundary for the proposed national park reserve and the concept for its operation,” the federal agency said in an emailed response to a request for a status update.

The consultations are taking longer to be announced than anticipated. When federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna visited Osoyoos in August, she told the Osoyoos Times that public consultations at open houses were expected to start “early in the fall.”

Parks Canada says consultations with Indigenous communities have already begun, but the agency didn’t directly answer a question about whether there are still issues for the three levels of government to resolve before information can be provided to the general public.

“The current focus of discussions has been on reviewing previous work by the Government of British Columbia, Sylix/Okanagan Nation and Parks Canada,” the agency said in reply. “The goal is to have an agreement on a boundary for the proposed national park reserve, and the concept for its operations will be in place within the next year. Steps would then be undertaken towards the formal establish[ment] of a national park reserve in the South Okanagan-Similkameen.”

Parks Canada has been clear that the proposed boundaries will be based on the 2011 map and not on the 2015 map proposed by the former B.C. Liberal government.

The provincial map, released during consultations on an August 2015 “Intentions Paper,” proposed including lands around White Lake and near to the Willowbrook community north of Oliver. Willowbrook has been a hotbed of resistance to a national park.

Parks Canada has said the northern area is not the primary focus, but parts of it are under consideration.

Talks are underway between Parks Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service about collaboration between the two agencies on the Vaseux Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Vaseux-Bighorn National Wildlife Area, the agency said. Those talks will continue throughout the establishment process.

While the proposed boundaries will exclude the contentious areas around Willowbrook, the protection of the White Lake area is still in the air.

“Discussions on the importance of the White Lake Basin continue, though no decision[s] about enhanced protection have been made at this point in time,” Parks Canada said.

Parks Canada has, however, been clear that the Mount Kobau area is likely to be contained in the park.

“The Mt. Kobau area has factored heavily into previous discussions about the feasibility of [the] national park reserve and will likely be given strong consideration in the proposed boundary,” Parks Canada said.

The Osoyoos Times has made several requests to interview Sarah Boyle, project manager with Parks Canada, since her appointment was announced in July. Those requests have all been denied, though Boyle did read a statement during a media conference call in August.

Boyle has been actively meeting local stakeholders since she was appointed, and some have shared information about those discussions with the Osoyoos Times.

Parks Canada said Boyle and Kevin McNamee, director of protected areas establishment for Parks Canada, will be available to provide a status update “when the public consultations are announced.”

“Ms. Boyle is currently focusing on the preparation for the public consultations,” Parks Canada said in denying the interview request.

“The views of stakeholders and the issues, concerns and opportunities that they put forward have been extremely helpful and are contributing to the content being developed for public consultation,” Parks Canada said.

“The creation of a new national park reserve is a complex process and the governments of Canada and British Columbia, along with Sylix/Okanagan partners, are taking the necessary time to ensure that all parties are properly engaged and that the appropriate consideration is given at each stage,” Parks Canada responded to a question about the schedule for releasing information to the public.

“Parks Canada is committed to undertaking meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities, partners, stakeholders and local residents as well as the broader Canadian public.”

The proposed national park reserve will be managed in partnership and cooperatively with the Okanagan/Sylix Nation, Boyle has told stakeholders.

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times