Phone interview 8am

1. What happens if Ottawa does not want two separate zones – a. Osoyoos area and b. Vaseux area?
“hose areas would likely become Class A Provincial Parks”

2. How long is the process going to go on? “he province should know its intentions prior to the election”

3. What about Linda Larson’s role so far? “I am concerned and frustrated that so much has been dumped on Linda when this process began so many years before and the controversy was there well before her election

4. Could the province do a better job of managing the resources in our area? “Yes but I could say that about all of the province and all of our responsibilities. There never is enough money to go around”

5. What about Ottawa and the National Park system doing a better job? “There is no evidence to that effect”

6. What really next? “My staff will now get to the job of drafting recommendations on the issue before going to cabinet for permission to proceed”

7. Native organization involvement? “Our consultation process with the ONA and local chiefs is very important and much progress has been made with co-management and there is more to come”

8. Did you like this consultation process? “It was fairly quickly done and the review taking a bit long but was measured and thoroughly analyzed. This was to be a consultation with local people on the ground in the South Okanagan. The bulk of the input came from organizations and agencies – many from outside the region”

9. What about Zone 2 (West of Oliver) Oliver Mountain?”This will be a conservancy and much can be done without any legislation so look for fairly quick action once consultation with the ONA is complete”

10. About the heat of controversy?”I think our process has cooled down the issue with a plan outlined that needs some refinement but is a step in the right direction. Polak says being positive will help making good decisions possible.”