Hon. Mary Polak
Minister of the Environment
Victoria

Dear Minister

I would like the Province of British Columbia to formally re-engage negotiations with the Government of Canada and First Nations in regard to the proposed South Okanagan Similkameen National Park reserve.

I have closely followed this file for more than 7 years and have come to the conclusion that a national park in the South Okanagan is the best way to preserve this unique wilderness area and provide significant benefits to this region and the communities.

Both the Federal/Provincial Park Feasibility Report (2010) and the First Nations Feasibility Study Report (2012) have concluded that a national park is feasible.  In addition, the proposed park has the support of a number of local municipal governments, Regional Districts, tourism and environmental organizations.

A number of concerns have been expressed by those in opposition to the park. The foremost being protection of ranching and grazing rights.  Controlled access for the HNZ helicopter school is also an issue.  I share these concerns.  It is my hope that in negotiation our provincial government will ensure that grazing rights will be enshrined for our ranchers in perpetuity, and that they will provide a guarantee for continued helicopter school access once a tentative agreement is signed by the three levels of government.

Minister, I believe that this can be a “win-win” situation for all stakeholders and strongly urge you to re-engage our provincial government in the process as soon as possible.

Alex Atamanenko, MP
BC Southern Interior