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In the NewsHeadlines: See Details Below
News Bulletin March 2008: After a six month effort, the group, Friends of Rathtrevor Park, is happy to announce its conclusion that Rathtrevor will not be chosen as the site for the construction of a traffic-generating interpretive centre. Read the press release... Sept. 2007: On August 27th a standing-room crowd listened to panelists and audience members talk about the desire to protect Rathtrevor from the construction of a large, income-generating interpretive centre proposed by a committee of the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Foundation. Read the press release... ................................ News Bulletin March 4, 2007: Cape Scott Provincial Park on Vancouver Island: Some details revealed about proposal for development. The company that has submitted a proposal to government for Cape Scott is Strategic Forest Management Inc. They do forest contracting and are moving into the tourism/recreation sector. Currently they hold the contract for the Park Facility Operator in Cape Scott. The proposal is for yurts. Our concerns with the proposal relate to environmental and species impact, particularly with the increased number of park visitors that this would bring. See related article below. ................................ News Bulletin January 10, 2007: Maxhamish Lake Provincial Park: Some details revealed about proposal for development. The company that has submitted a proposal to government for Maxhamish Lake is Liard Air. Liard Air Ltd. offers fly-in fishing, wildlife viewing safari tours, hiking and outpost cabin vacations in the Northern Rocky Mts and currently owns and operates Northern Rockies Lodge. Their bases are at Fort Nelson and Muncho Lake. ................................ News Bulletin December 14, 2006: Cape Scott Provincial Park on northern Vancouver Island receives a proposal for a development. Sadly, Cape Scott, the jewel of Northern Vancouver Island, has now received a proposal for private development. The government RFP (Request for Proposal) documents indicate that there would be 5 cabins, each with ten beds at these locations: Donaldson Farm, Laura Creek, Shuttleworth Bight, Skinner Creek, Shushartie Bay. Old growth trees would have to removed for the construction. The documents also suggest a $100 fee for people to hike the northeast trail and that road access would have to be provided to the first cabin. In a preliminary assessment in February 2005, numerous adverse impacts were listed and the plan was not recommended. See more under Parks at Risk. ................................ News Bulletin December 1, 2006: Good News! No lodge proposals for Golden Ears, Nancy Greene and others. Lodge proposal received for Maxhamish Lake Park ~ BC Wilderness Tourism Association opposes Park Lodge Strategy. All but one of the Lodge proposal deadlines has passed. Cape Scott has been extended to December 4. The results clearly indicate that our campaign is having an effect. There have been no proposals received for 7 of the parks. Safe (for now) are Golden Ears, Wells Gray, Nancy Greene, Foch-Giltoyees, Fintry, Myra Bellevue and Silver Star. Two proposals were received - one for Mount Robson by the Alpine Club of Canada and one for Maxhamish Lake. See Parks at Risk. This does not mean, however, that these parks are safe forever. We must continue to advocate the cancellation of the policy and to request from government that the Parks Act be amended to prevent this from occuring in the future. We are also very pleased that the Wilderness Tourism Association of BC opposes the Park Lodge Strategy (Fixed Rood Accommodation) and has issued a written policy to this effect. ................................ News Bulletin November 20, 2006: Friends of the Campaign for BC Parks meets with the Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC We were invited to attend a meeting of the Federation of Mountain Clubs of British Columbia on November 18. The meeting proved to be very worthwhile in explaining our position and the need for further action. In attendance were Gwen Barlee- Western Canada Wilderness Committe, Ed Mankelow - BC Wildlife Federation, Sharon Glynn - Friends of the Campaign for BC Parks and Katy Holm - Wilderness Guide and Educator. ................................ News Bulletin November 3, 2006: Proposals Received for Mount Robson and Elk Lakes - No proposal for Wells Gray - Other dates extended The Environment Ministry has received proposals for development from interested parties for Mt. Robson and Elk Lakes Provincial Parks. Wells Gray has not received any proposal and the closing date of November 2 has now passed. The RFP (Request for Proposals) closing date for Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park has been extended to Jan. 15, 2007 and the closing date for Cape Scott Provincial Park was extended to Dec. 4, 2006 (original closing dates were Nov. 2). The RFP period for the remaining six parks is scheduled to close Nov. 27. ................................ News Bulletin Oct. 27, 2006: Union of BC Municipalities Conference, Victoria, BC. The wording of the resolution, sponsored by the District of North Vancouver reads: WHEREAS the provincial government recently issued a Request for Proposals without public consultation for new fixed roofed accommodations of up to 100 beds or more, including resorts and lodges, in 12 provincial parks, AND WHEREAS this privatization initiative lacks tools to limit future facility expansion, encourages helicopter and float plane traffic, permits foreign multinational financing ownership, requires parking lots, staff housing, logging for fire breaks, sewage and electricity- all at a time when preservation of wilderness is considered BC Parks' most important asset; AND WHEREAS these facilities would best benefit local municipalities if they were appropriately situated in our communities where tourists and visitors would most actively support and enrich local economies, and where they would not unfairly compete with our existing tourism, hotel and restaurant services: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities advise the provincial government that it supports environmentally sustainable eco-tourism resort/lodge/motel accommodation outside provincial park boundaries and opposes new private, for-profit roofed accommodations inside provincial parks. (emphasis added) Speaker's Corner: YOUR COMMENTS on the PetitionM. Walther, Prince George, BC. ... I urge government to rethink their strategies around short term profit. I ask you: how are you, the trustees of this land today, how are you going to justify to younger generations of tomorrow the commercializing of pristine, protected habitat areas? Hospitality and Resource business has no business within the boundaries our BC parks, the last refuge for flora and fauna in the western world. Where is your accountability as politicians? Where is your professional and personal integrity as people in positions of power, invested with the responsibility to care for these parks, not sell them for a short term profit margin with long term environmental, and therefore economical consequences. In the year 2006, it is astonishing and repulsive to find that this issue has even been raised." J. Kobylka of Vancouver, BC:
J. Whitehead of Duncan, BC: We do guiding and this will impact on our business as our European customers are here to enjoy wilderness and will not come otherwise. There will be a financial and emotional impact on ourselves. The most impact will be on the pristine environment of the park as development needs water, hydro, roads and the demand increases for being able to bring in motorised vehicles." T. Barrett, Kamloops, BC Thank you to those who have entered comments and for your permission to have them published. ................................................................................................ home | fact sheet | parks at risk | you can help © 2010 Friends of the Campaign for BC Parks |
What People Say..."Our internationally renowned parks are a sacred trust for wildlife, nature and for our children, and they must be protected. Resorts and hotels belong outside parks, not inside. We will continue to support environmentally sustainable tourism development outside of parks."
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