Premier Christy Clark (left) shares a laugh with Cathy Behrenbruch and Sonia Lopez, both from Osoyoos. The premier spoke at a lunch event organized by the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce at Silver Sage Winery last Thursday. During her visit, she couldn’t get away from the national park issue, as people on both sides lobbied and questioned her. (Richard McGuire photo)
B.C. Premier Christy Clark made headlines when she paid a visit to Osoyoos in June and had to field many questions about the proposed national park, while former Osoyoos Mayor and longtime local MLA John Slater was fondly remembered during his memorial service.
Clark got an earful about the national park issue when she and her cabinet were in Osoyoos for a retreat.
Both the “yes” and “no” sides were out in force at a cocktail reception at Spirit Ridge, buttonholing the premier and ministers about the issue.
Some also attended a luncheon sponsored by the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce at Silver Sage Winery.
While the premier left no cracks of light on the issue between herself and Environment Minister Mary Polak, and she said very little, it’s what she didn’t say that caused some to take notice.
Asked point blank by the Osoyoos Times if she has ruled out a national park, Clark dodged the question, leaving wiggle room, while making it clear a national park is not her first choice.
“I know that it’s very controversial,” said Clark. “It’s not something we have been working towards, for sure. I think there are lots of ways we can protect all the things that a national park would protect without ending up with a model that makes it really inflexible for folks in the region. So I think there’s a good way to do it. It doesn’t have to be a national park.”
Doreen Olson, co-ordinator of the SOS National Park Network, said the premier and ministers were more accessible to discuss the issue at the cocktail party than at the lunch.
“We know there were at least 25 park supporters at that cocktail party,” said Olson. “Nearly everyone asked her about the park.”
Opponents of the park were present too, also lobbying cabinet.
Greg Norton, an orchardist and spokesperson for the Grassland Park Review Coalition, posed for pictures with Environment Minister Polak and several anti-park ranchers were also seen among the guests.
Negotiations between the province and the federal government to establish a national park reserve in the South Okanagan-Lower Similkameen continued for almost a decade until the province abruptly withdrew at the end of 2011 citing a lack of local support.
Clark has previously maintained that there isn’t local support for a national park, but a recent poll found that respondents in the Boundary-Similkameen support a park by a margin of two-to-one.
This time Clark acknowledged there are voices on both sides of the issue.
“What I’ve heard from people, I know there is a lot of sometimes polarized debate about it … is there is more than one way to get there,” she said, adding that people need to agree on the values they want to protect first.
“Let’s find a solution that works for everybody if we can,” she said. “That’s what we’re focused on.”
The premier said Polak has been meeting with people in the region on the issue to discuss what values need to be protected.
“I think there’s going to be pretty broad agreement about that,” she said. “We need to protect endangered species, we need to protect biodiversity, we need to protect our environment. There are no debates about that, so once we’ve agreed on those values then the question is how do we protect it. And there are lots of different ways to get to that.”
Only John Slater would buy a fart machine to liven up a boring meeting.
The laughter erupted in the Sonora Community Centre during Slater’s memorial when brother Kim told family and friends about the time John pulled one of his many pranks.
“He complained about the committee meetings (in Vancouver). He said they were painfully tedious.”
Kim explained how John stopped at a joke shop and bought a fart machine with a remote control.
He secretly taped the machine under the speaker’s table during one meeting. The first time he pressed the button, everyone pretended not to hear the flatulence, which was quite shocking.
The second time, people started looking nervously at each other.
“The third time they pointed fingers at each other,” Kim said.
Family and friends gathered at the Sonora Community Centre to remember the fun-loving father, businessman, councillor, mayor and MLA, who was indeed a man of all seasons.
“My brother was full of cool ideas and a guy who was fearless to try anything,” said Kim.
Kim recalled growing up in Rutland and playing hockey on the local pond.
“Before we could skate on it, we had to make sure the ice was thick enough, so he (John) sent me out on the ice to see if it was too thin. But he gave me a long rope to hang onto if things didn’t go well.”
Kim said John wasn’t perfect – he had his frailties and made mistakes like everyone else.
Kim said John never fell out of love, he only fell in love, noting he reserved a special place in his heart for sisters Sylvia and Laura, and his children Christopher, Tina and Alana.
Friend and colleague Ryan Pineo wrote he and John always seemed to get into trouble of the best kind, playing around and doing pranks on everyone in the office.
In a letter to their father, Tina and Alana said he was their hero, a man who treated their friends like his own children.
“We will miss his laugh, hugs and amazing meals,” they pointed out.
Sylvia said John was her mentor, protector and hero in life.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
Hundreds of Osoyoos residents packed into the Sonora Community Centre in June to attend a memorial service and tribute for former mayor and veteran MLA John Slater. (Lyonel Doherty photo)
Transients from other parts of Canada began congregating in Osoyoos in late spring to socialize, party, pick fruit or see the country. (Richard McGuire photo)
Probably the most unique looking vehicle at Cactus Jalopies in June was a custom vehicle named Deco Liner belonging to Dale (pictured) and Diane Gerry of Kelowna. It began life as a 1948 Chevrolet cab over truck, but except for the front end, you wouldn’t recognize it. (Richard McGuire photo)
Amateur astronomer Jack Newton adjusts the telescope in his observatory to bring Venus into focus. Newton was profiled in a June feature story after he spoke to the Rotary Club of Osoyoos. (Richard McGuire photo)
Astrophotograher Jack Newton captured this amazing image of lightning striking Osoyoos Lake in June from his home and observatory on Anarchist Mountain. Lightning strikes on around that time ignited almost a dozen small wildfires in the Osoyoos area on Anarchist Mountain, Kruger Mountain, Mount Kobau and other locations. Lightning was also blamed for some of the more serious fires that occurred later in the summer. (Jack Newton photo)
