Consultation underway
The province is soliciting public comment on an intentions paper regarding the proposed conservation of more than 84,000 acres in the Okanagan-Similkameen region west of Okanagan Falls and south to the U.S. border between Oliver and Cawston.
The land includes a mix of public and private holdings, Crown land and properties managed under existing conservation agreements. The acreage exists in three areas, and the province’s proposal strengthens existing protections as well as First Nations title.
But the impact on other forms of title is less clear. The intentions paper suggests some of the land could form a national park reserve, a step below a full-fledged national park that has stirred strong emotions since its proposal in the late 1990s.
While the province has pledged to respect existing uses, such as ranching, landowners are not so sure.
“Cattlemen in this area don’t support a national park reserve at all,” said Dave Casorso, a rancher in Oliver.
A national park reserve is subject to tighter management terms than a provincial conservation area, with Ottawa typically seeking title to the land – something many ranchers are unwilling to relinquish.
“[Some feared] an impairment of the ability to transfer their property or have value in their property, and also … their use would be watched or controlled,” said Sally Kilburg, a Penticton realtor and president of the South Okanagan Real Estate Board.
But she believes guarantees are in place that will see property values rise rather than drop if the province protects the lands.
“What I hear is pretty general support for the idea and maybe even some excitement,” she said.
The province concludes its consultation on October 12.
Technophilia
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson credits the tech sector with boosting local prosperity, and the latest testimony to the wondrous effects of the sector was last week’s launch of Telus Garden, the office tower home not only to Telus, the biggest company in B.C., but also to Amazon and other firms.
And the good times seem set to continue, with a recent email from the mayor to Vision Vancouver supporters claiming that a record-breaking 4.5 million square feet of new office space is under development in the city, “creating thousands of innovative, high-paying new jobs in our city – and continuing Vancouver’s rise as a global capital for technology and innovation.”
However, city staff indicate that just 907,600 square feet of office space is under construction in Vancouver.
The remainder that’s “under development” has merely been “approved.” Moreover, those approvals include a mix of development permits (meaning the projects are good to break ground) as well as rezoning applications, and all the hard work that follows at the city’s urban design panel and permit boards. •
