Claims of consultation with communities over Cosens Bay Road are being refuted.
B.C. Parks told the Regional District of North Okanagan board Wednesday that the Ministry of Transportation is completing final aspects of its boundary adjustment application for Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, including local government consultation.
That brought a sharp response from director Jim Garlick, who is Coldstream’s mayor.
“It never happened or it hasn’t happened,” he said. “We’ve not had any consultation at all. We’ve been waiting for the opportunity but it’s never come.”
Keith Baric, B.C. Parks planning section head, says Garlick’s concerns will be pointed out to the transportation ministry.
“They have to clearly indicate what levels of government they have consulted with and any feedback,” he said.
The ministry wants to have a 20-metre right-of-way removed from the park so safety and maintenance issues can be addressed.
However, the regional district has opposed the plan, saying the right-of-way will negatively impact the park’s ecosystem.
“B.C. Parks is not here to share its opinion on the boundary adjustment application. We’re a neutral party,” Baric told RDNO directors.
The Ministry of Transportation insists it has followed the consultation process set out by B.C. Parks, including a public open house and sessions with Friends of Kalamalka Lake Park and First Nations.
“The ministry has also presented information on the application for the boundary adjustment to the RDNO board July 24, 2014, Aug. 7, 2014 and April 1, 2015, and to the District of Coldstream mayor and council July 14, 2014,” states the ministry.
“We note that Coldstream Mayor Garlick sits on the RDNO board and was present for the April 1, 2015 briefing and discussion.”
It also states that Garlick wrote a letter to the ministry in September 2014 about the proposed park boundary change.
