A sign informs walkers that Haynes Point Provincial Park is completely closed to public access. Even the boat launch is out of bounds. A BC Parks employee was turning away those wanting to walk into the park. (Richard McGuire photo)
Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) Chief Clarence Louie confirmed Tuesday that he and his band council are the new managers of Haynes Point Provincial Park and have every intention of keeping the site as one of British Columbia’s most popular campgrounds.
“We don’t own it … we’re the new managers,” said Louie, in a phone interview from his OIB office in Oliver minutes after the provincial government’s BC Parks department issued a press release stating the OIB will now be in charge of running and operating Haynes Point and Okanagan Falls provincial parks, effective immediately.
Louie has confirmed the names of both parks will be changed to more accurately reflect the history of this area.
The deal with the provincial government comes following the discovery last April of First Nations archeological relics at Haynes Point Provincial Park.
Human remains were found and confirmed First Nation people were living at this site dating back as far as 10,000 years, said Louie.
The provincial government and OIB have reached an agreement that Haynes Point and Okanagan Falls provincial parks will be managed by the band.
They will continue to be operated as campgrounds, said Louie.
“We realize the importance of tourism and camping to the South Okanagan and we’re going to continue operating them as campgrounds,” said Louie, who has played a key role in turning the OIB into one of Canada’s most economically diverse and successful First Nation bands.
Osoyoos and area residents will continue to be able to walk their dogs and walk the nature trails at Haynes Point as they have been able to do for several decades, said Louie.
The OIB already owns and operates Nk’ Mip RV Campground on the east shore of Osoyoos Lake and won’t have any trouble taking over management duties at Haynes Point, said Louie.
“We already run one of the most successful campgrounds in the entire province,” he said. “We know how to run a campground … as a successful business.”
Haynes Point Provincial Park reopened to pedestrians after the completion of a further archaeological assessment late last October and into early November.
The plan is to open Haynes Point in early April at the same time it has opened over the past several years, said Louie.
Louie said he realizes there are some critics who won’t be pleased that the provincial government has signed this deal, but he won’t lose any sleep over it.
“There will be some who claim that this is all about economic gain,” said Louie. “The reality is we could actually do what we want and close it down, but we are willing to find a compromise and continue operating it as a campground so tourists and locals can continue to enjoy the park.”
A large chunk of the land where the provincial park in Okanagan Falls is located used to be First Nation land that was taken away by senior levels of government dating back to 1914, said Louie.
The fact human remains were found in Haynes Point Provincial Park last year confirmed that the land where Haynes Point Provincial Park is located is a burial ground for First Nation people, he said.
It still upsets him that several local citizens claimed that the human remains found last year weren’t authentic and could have been brought to the area from other parts of the South Okanagan, said Louie.
“Haynes Point is an ancient burial ground that dates back 10,000 years,” he said. “We have aboriginal title and rights, but we’re willing to work within the park system so tourism can continue to succeed in this part of the province.”
Park visitors can expect the same recreational opportunities as before, the province said in a press release.
The government and OIB have also agreed to not only rename the two parks, but also McIntyre Bluff near Vaseux Lake, another important native archaeological and cultural heritage site, to their traditional nsyilxcen (Okanagan) place names.
The province said the agreements reflect a commitment between the government and OIB to renew and strengthen their government-to-government relationship.
The province and Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) have agreed that Haynes Point and Okanagan Falls provincial parks will be managed by OIB.
In October the province announced that the park would be closed indefinitely after the discovery of ancestral remains were found. On April 29 of 2014, human remains were discovered during the replacement of a toilet facility in Haynes Point Provincial Park.
BC Parks worked with the OIB to remove the toilet facility and respectfully rebury the ancestral remains in their original location.
Radiocarbon testing confirmed the ancestral remains are approximately 1,224 years old.
Created in 1962, the park was named after Judge John Carmichael Haynes, who settled in Osoyoos in 1866 and became a prominent judge and land owner.
For the past 40 years, Haynes Point has become one of the most popular provincial parks in the entire province as virtually every camping space is booked for the entire season once the province’s online booking service goes into effect in the spring.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
