Locals Brave New BC Parks Rules

by Kathy Smail and Norberto Rodriguez dela Vega

Late last summer, Friends of Cortes Island focussed on the recent provincial government changes in park management. This has been, and continues to be, a difficult task, involving beaurocratic complexities, continually evolving mandates, and reams of written material as the BC government works through its process. The implications for Cortes Provincial Parks are uncertain and potentially detrimental considering the motivations behind the changes.

As a result of provincial budget cuts, Minister Joyce Murray announced that the government would cease funding maintenance of BC Parks, would bundle parks into groups of 10 or more, and encourage experienced organizations and individuals to apply to manage these bundles. The two-step process would start with the Request For Qualified Respondents aimed at selecting groups with appropriate qualifications that would continue to the next step, the Request For Proposals, a call to bid on the operational management of the park bundles.

Prior warning of the impending change appeared on Cortes when the government ceased to fund maintenance of Manson's Landing Park in the spring of 2002. A fund set up by a local store proprietor, Bertha Jeffery, was a great short-term solution that covered the costs of that summer's maintenance and brought the issue of long-term park management to the community's attention. Once the government's Request for Proposal process was revealed, residents became deeply concerned that, under the proposed changes, issues of geographical location and the push for increased recreational revenues would compromise maintenance standards, local consultation, and environmental integrity.

Community members approached the Friends of Cortes Island Society (FOCI) with the request that FOCI enter the Request For Qualified Respondents process, as the most effective way to remain involved and within the communication circle of government officials. After a complicated application process, FOCI was accepted as a qualified respondent.

Moving to the second step of submitting a proposal to manage the park bundle was daunting. Thirteen parks were included in the North Island lot and ranged geographically from Hornby and Denman through Miracle Beach, Strathcona, and Elk Falls to Schoen Lake, 140 km north of Campbell River.

Early on, FOCI investigated the possibility of extracting the Cortes Parks from the North Island bundle. It was estimated that the revenue from the campground in Smelt Bay Park could support the operation of the Manson's Landing day use park. As is done in Kw'as and Carrington Bay under the Regional District, FOCI could subcontract the park operations to local service providers, so that maximum revenues remained on Cortes.

In November, North Island MLA Rod Visser promised to forward his support for FOCI to Minister Murray. In a meeting with WLAP BC Park Directors Martin Dueck and John Block, the latter alluded to the possibility of the bundles being reconfigured at the time of the contract so that the Cortes parks could be removed and maintained separately. The Regional District of Comox-Strathcona agreed to administer the parks with Friends of Cortes Island support and forwarded a resolution and letter of support to that effect to the Ministry.

Recognizing that the competition to manage provincial parks was designed for business interests, FOCI withdrew from the RFP process. The North Island bundle was awarded to Osprey Silviculture of Victoria, who asked FOCI to bid on maintenance of the local parks. Since FOCI has neither the desire nor the mandate to compete with local service providers, the offer was declined, but the door was opened for FOCI, as a community consultation group on ecological concerns, to review future development plans and organize community meetings where necessary.

And where are we today? No response has been received to the debundling proposal that was submitted by the Regional District and Cortes has a new Park Facility Operator with a ten-year Park Use Permit for Recreational Services Delivery. Osprey's President and owner, Greg Witt has stated his interest is simply maintaining status quo for the time being, hiring local workers, and encouraging community support. He has agreed to send us a list of proposed developmental changes set out in Osprey's three year business plan and FOCI looks forward to a positive and productive relationship.

Questions about the future environmental sustainability of our provincial parks remain unanswered. We have been informed by WLAP's Regional Environmental Stewardship Manager that the Park Purpose Statement for Manson's Landing, which lists important environmental values, remains in effect and "There will be no expanded opportunities for overnight camping or any other activities that may compromise the purpose of this park." At Smelt Bay, basic Park Operator information states that the park's "… purpose is to protect existing Native cultural features [middens] and provide camping and day use opportunities." Our hope is that the Cortes community, Osprey Silviculture, and the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection can work together to maintain and protect environmental values. In the meantime the FOCI Parks Committee remains vigilant.

* In closing, many thanks to the committee members and advisors who worked so hard to wade through the ever-shifting information and required responses for the process: Jim and Dianne Hentschel, Pierre and Anicca de Trey, Fred and Ruth Zwickel, Michael Moore, Ralph Nursall, Ted Bannister, Hubert Havelaar, Norberto Rodriguez dela Vega, Carol Tidler, and Regional Director George Sirk. Another huge thank you to the park donors for their generous contributions.

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