Tensions rise over Bowen park
The plan to create a national park reserve on Bowen Island has become one of the island's hottest election issues, with tensions rising not only among municipal candidates but between friends and neighbours.
The proposal, in which Parks Canada is considering turning 42 per cent of the island into a national park reserve, has drawn enough public pressure to lead to a non-binding Yes/ No question on the matter at the ballot box Saturday.
"This is a small island and it's split down the middle," said resident Michael Cornelissen, a member of the group opposing the proposal. "There are friends and neighbours who won't talk to each other any more.
"We want a No vote to make it go away. This is not the right place for a national park."
Bowen Island, which sits off Horseshoe Bay, covers 5,260 hectares and has a permanent population of about 3,500 residents.
The issue of a national park arose after Parks Canada said in a feasibility study that it is placing a "very high" priority on several publicly owned properties of interest on Bowen Island for the proposed reserve.
The properties include Cowan Point, Mount Gardner, Fairy Fen, Radar Hill and Apodaca Mountain Ecological Reserve. Crippen Park, which is owned by Metro Vancouver and run as a regional park, is also in the mix.
The seven-member Bowen council voted unanimously to favour the plan in principle, arguing a national reserve would protect about half of Bowen Island in perpetuity, boost economic issues and serve as a model of ecological sustainability. But those against it argue they would have to share the island with a federal agency beholden to Ottawa, and it would lead to more tourists, increased ferry lineups and the potential for Crippen Park to be subjected to land claims issues.
Resident Barbara Wahler said the issue has divided the island community. A petition last year to try to exclude Crippen Park from the proposal collected more than 1,000 signatures.
Wahler, who is in the no camp, also expressed concerns the national park reserve has become a key election topic, noting it could end up stalling critical issues such as revitalizing Snug Cove, providing sewer lines and seniors housing, and building a new community centre.
"In the minds of many this is the last chance," Wahler said. "I have close friends who don't want to have anything to do with me at this moment and I'm just banking on the fact that on Monday we can get back to normal."
Incumbent Coun. Doug Hooper, who supports the park reserve plan, dismissed claims that a Yes vote on Saturday will mean the project is a done deal. He argued the vote will clarify how the new council should proceed and, if positive, will pave the way for more discussions with the provincial and federal governments.
He pointed to a letter from B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake who said that while a national park is entirely within municipal jurisdiction, the province would only consider it if there was support from Bowen Islanders throughout the process.
"There's great potential but we have to finish the process where Bowen gets to speak first," Hooper said, insisting council will still have the opportunity to turn down the proposal if it's not feasible. "The threat that this is our one and only chance to defeat the process is false."
But Wahler said the letter is no guarantee that the public will be consulted. She also raised concerns about the future of Bowen, if it becomes Crown land.
Chief Lonnie Hingle, a retired federal government employee and a first nations representative, maintains that by turning the lands over to Parks Canada, and the Crown, it will make them easier to access for first nations treaties and lead to extended negotiations over the next decade. But Hooper argued all of Bowen Island right now is subject to treaty negotiations.
Parks Canada officials did not return calls by press time.
CIVIC ELECTION 2011
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