Opponents on the proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan gathered in front of Osoyoos Town Hall on Monday afternoon to call for a referendum on the park. (Vanessa Broadbent photo)

By Vanessa Broadbent

Osoyoos Times

The view from Osoyoos Town Hall was filled with “No National Park” signs on Monday afternoon.

Several dozen opponents of Park’s Canada’s proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan gathered in front of the hall, just before council’s meeting, to show disapproval for council’s recent decision to not send a letter to the federal government requesting a referendum.

Most were armed with signs, either stating “No National Park” or calling for a referendum.

Osoyoos resident Dustin Stephens has adorned his truck with signs calling for a referendum on the proposed national park reserve, and parked around Osoyoos with a petition. (Vanessa Broadbent photo)

Osoyoos resident Dustin Stephens has spent the last week parking his truck, decked with two large signs reading “Locals want referendum for the national park,” around town speaking to people about the park reserve and asking them to sign a petition for a referendum.

He put the call out on Facebook on Sunday afternoon to meet in front of town hall the next day.

Participants and passersby had the chance to sign a petition for a referendum, which before the gathering had around 180 signatures.

“Where I’ve been set up by Buy-Low Foods it’s almost non stop traffic and people coming through,” Stephens said, “and everybody that’s opposed to the park is quite strongly opposed, they’re not just a little bit opposed.”

Stephens saw the gathering as a way to not only lobby for a referendum, but exercise democratic freedom.

“A lot of people seem to feel that we don’t have much democracy left in this country anymore and that’s why I’m doing this,” he said. “I think we’re fortunate that we live in a country where we’re legally allowed to protest, which is great.”

Lionel Trudel, a director of the South Okanagan Similkameen Preservation Society (SOSPS), a group opposed to the park reserve’s implementation, pointed out that having the referendum as part of the upcoming federal election in October isn’t the only option.

“The Town at any time can have a referendum,” he said. “The Town can have a plebiscite; it could advertise in the newspaper and say ‘if you object to this, then please mail in.’”

(Vanessa Broadbent photo)

A telephone poll completed by the SOSPS in January reports that 76 per cent of people in the Oliver, Osoyoos, Cawston and Keremeos areas are in support of a referendum.

Trudel, however, thinks the number is even higher.

“When you consider the way polling works and a person who answers the phone, a person who’s a no-parker generally won’t answer the phone so I think the numbers of people who are against the park are quite higher,” he said. “I think it’s up to about 80 or 90 per cent, personally.”

Mayor Sue McKortoff said the park is a “complicated issue” and discussions have taken place for 17 years, but reiterated council’s decision to not ask for a referendum.

“If the group wanted a referendum, they should ask Parks Canada or the federal government,” she said.

There are many people who support the “yes” side as well, McKortoff pointed out, and anyone was able to participate in Parks Canada’s online public consultation for the proposed park reserve, which ended on March 15.

• Read more: Parks Canada project manager gives update to council

From December 10 to March 15, members of the public were invited to share their views on the prosed boundary and give input via an online survey and at stakeholder meetings.

In total, Parks Canada held 36 meetings with stakeholder groups and received 2,750 submissions online.

Now staff are working on a “What We Heard” report, which will be prepared and shared with the public in coming months once all feedback has been collected and reviewed, Parks Canada said.

The report will include a summary and analysis of the results of the consultation, which Parks Canada says will inform future recommendations regarding the national park reserve proposal.

The organization said it will continue to work with specific stakeholder groups and private landholders.

(Vanessa Broadbent photo)

(Vanessa Broadbent photo)

(Vanessa Broadbent photo)