B.C. Environment Minister Mary Polak was in the South Okanagan recently to meet with key stakeholder groups on the long-simmering national park issue.
With her were ministerial staff and local MLA Linda Larson as she held three meetings at the Silver Sage Winery south of Oliver.
First was a meeting with park opponents from the Grassland Park Review Coalition, which includes some local ranchers, hunters, anglers and users of all-terrain vehicles.
A second meeting included representatives of the Okanagan Nation Alliance, including chiefs of the Penticton Indian Band and Upper Nicola Band as well as representatives of the Osoyoos Indian Band and Lower Similkameen Indian Band.
The final meeting was with supporters of the park including environmentalists, and representatives of local business groups, the tourism industry and former Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells.
Back in April, we argued in this editorial space that the issue would not go away, even if the province ignored it. With the clamour for a park getting stronger, we argued that it was time for the provincial government to engage in serious talks with all major local stakeholders before reopening talks with the federal government.
It is only fair then to commend the B.C. government for opening the first serious discussions with stakeholders since the province abruptly pulled the plug early in 2012.
By accounts of those at the meetings, Minister Polak was well informed and seemed genuinely interested in listening. This is a very positive first step, but of course we will need to see the outcome of future meetings to know what it achieves.
Polak said she is interested in finding common ground. She also wants to identify what each group is trying to achieve before deciding what tools are needed to achieve it.
Probably all stakeholders agree that the South Okanagan-Similkameen grasslands are a rare, sensitive and precious environment that should be protected. Where they disagree is on how it should be protected.
Supporters of a national park believe that only Parks Canada has the means and resources to assemble the lands before they are subdivided and developed. They also don’t believe the province can provide sufficient protection. Furthermore, national park status will give the area an international cachet that no provincial designation can offer – helping to boost ecotourism in this area.
Local First Nations share the goal of protecting the environment. They want to be involved in a solution that includes the federal government, but also gives an important role to First Nations in jointly managing the park. In particular, they want the sacred nature of features like Spotted Lake to be protected and they want an opportunity to educate visitors about their traditions.
Only the park opponents distrust the federal government and want to see it excluded. As coalition spokesman Greg Norton puts it, Parks Canada “is not an open-door outfit in our view.”
His preference is for a provincially run Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) process that would be developed by the local community.
It is hard to see how all these positions can be reconciled, especially considering the intractable resistance of opponents to federal involvement.
But Minister Polak deserves credit for trying, as long as her effort is genuine.
Currently she has no mandate even to consider a national park as a solution. But all options must be on the table.
The provincial government’s meetings with stakeholders are an important and refreshing first step.
Ultimately though, the federal government will need to be brought back into the talks – whether or not a national park reserve is the end result.
