VICTORIA – Boundary-Similkameen MLA John Slater issued the following statement about Victoria-Swan Lake MLA Ron Fleming’s statements in the legislature today:

“I was very disappointed to hear Mr. Fleming misrepresent my position on the proposed Okanagan Similkameen National Park today.

My position has not changed: I support the Province’s decision to withdraw from the National Park initiative. After almost ten years of going through this process there are still many unanswered questions relative to the establishment of a National Park, including those of the First Nations. Further, there are many local residents who feel they do not have enough information about the proposed park to make an informed decision.

Surveys were done across all the regions affected. They found that about 27 per cent said they needed more information and about 10 per cent had no opinion for or against. When nearly 40 per cent of the local population is undecided, it would be irresponsible in the extreme to change land use in such a dramatic way.

Osoyoos has been my home for over 30 years, and nobody wants to protect this beautiful environment more than the people lucky enough to live in this region. We live in a very unique area of Canada and we certainly wish to retain this “uniqueness” through the creation and maintenance of an environment that is locally determined and meets the needs and interests of all concerned including ranchers, environmentalists, businesses, recreational users, forestry, mining and those of the First Nations.

The Province recognizes the important conservation values in the South Okanagan/Similkameen area, including some of the most ecologically valuable grasslands in British Columbia. There are existing methods available to protect these invaluable grasslands and we will continue to explore these options.”