Photos and text by Jim Cooperman
Rampant and often massive development projects around BC have become the new battleground for environmental activism over the last few years. Citizen groups which once worked tirelessly to prevent the logging of old growth forests are nowbattling developers and local governments over new highways, ski resorts, or condos.
Even when local governments do make the right decision about proposed developments, the provincial government now has the power to reverse these decisions. For example, the East Kootenay Regional District could respect public opinion by rejecting the proposed Jumbo Resort. Jumbo, after years of controversy, was given the go-ahead by the BC Environmental Assessment Office despite the fact that 91 percent of the nearly 6,000 comments received opposed the development. However, the BC government can override the local regional district decision by invoking the Significant Projects Streamlining Act or by declaring the Jumbo Valley a resort municipality.
“Dumb growth” is rising to the top of the list of environmental concerns because there is such a strong demand for vacation homes. Much of this demand is due to Alberta’s thriving oil and gas economy, as the money generated there is spent in BC on lakeside condos, RV lots, ski resort homes and condos, and luxury vacation homes in the Gulf Islands or on the coast.
In the Shuswap
After nearly 20 years of working on land use issues such as forestry, parks and wildlife, the Shuswap Environmental Action Society is now embroiled in a fight against developments that could be best categorized as “dumb growth,” as opposed to smart growth. At risk is the health of a local watershed and the huge Shuswap lake system.
The campaign to protect the lakes began in the spring of 2005 when developers released plans three years ago to dump treated effluent into Shuswap Lake. Concerned locals banded together to convince the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and the provincial government to halt approval of private sewage effluent outfalls. [See “Cabin Fever on Shuswap Lake,” March-April 2006]
Eventually, in November 2005, the provincial government issued a temporary moratorium, but not until five lakeside developments were registered. Three sewage plants for these projects are now in operation, and because of the start-up periods every summer when the condo owners return to these summer residences, the systems do not work properly. The regional district is using the morato- This petro-boom bubble could burst if the current economic slowdown expands into Western Canada. Another factor that should influence all this proposed growth is the provincial government’s recent green conversion, as dumb growth will only exacerbate climate change. rium, which was renewed for another two years in November, 2007, to develop liquid waste management plans for the rapidly growing communities along the lake.
Large developments of townhouses, condo towers and marinas with over 1200 new boat slips are either proposed, in the approval process, or currently under construction. The major hotspot on the lake is Sicamous, which prides itself as the houseboat capital of the world. Most of the waterfront adjacent to the channel between Mara and Shuswap Lakes has now been covered with tall condo buildings. Many of the houseboats have been moved, and the docks are now used for private speed boats.
One houseboat company, Twin Anchors, purchased a large parcel of land adjacent to the mouth of the Eagle River. They are planning to dig lagoons and raise the level of the low lying wetland in order to build homes. Even though the environmental assessment recommended leaving much of the riparian area intact, they have logged the area anyway. This development is now on hold because in August, 2007 the Department of Fisheries and Ocean began an investigation for possible damage to fish habitat.
Just south of Sicamous on Mara Lake, another houseboat company is planning to build an enormous condo tower on a spit of flood plain land classified as moderate to high risk for debris floods. Their application for a massive marina, opposed by most local residents, includes a 5,000 square foot floating building, for which the concrete dock has already been built. Their marina plan is now on the desk of the provincial Integrated Land Management Bureau after being approved by Sicamous.
At Lee Creek in the North Shuswap, New Recreations Ltd. is proposing to build West Beach Village, a 218 unit development with a 160 slip marina, 10,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and four storey townhouses. The site is adjacent to Roderick-Haig Brown Provincial Park and is very close to the mouth of the world famous Adams River, home to one of the province’s largest salmon runs. A metre of fill would be needed to ensure the foundations are above the water level in this flood plain area.
Water quality varies in Shuswap Lake, which is shaped like an H with four arms. In the main arms where the water flushes through quickly quality is fine, but in two of the bays there are problems. Salmon Arm Bay is impacted by agricultural run-off from the Salmon River valley and likely from the town’s sewage treatment and storm drainage system. And septic systems are likely leaching into Blind Bay, which has a population near its shores larger than many towns in the province.
Government agencies, including federal fisheries and the Ministry of Environment, are concerned about impacts on the lake from these projects, while the regional district helps promote development through the re-zoning process and the ongoing Official Community Plan (OCP) process. The agencies have now banded together with the regional districts (Columbia-Shuswap, North Okanagan and Thompson-Nicola) into the Shuswap Lakes Integrated Planning Process (SLIPP). The goal for SLIPP is to develop a strategy to prevent further degradation of water quality. The plan will focus on zoning, growth and foreshore development, water quality and waste management, and recreation management. The plan will likely lead to improved decision making, agency co-ordination and compliance and enforcement, but it remains to be seen whether it will deter approval of any of the marinas currently in the proposal stage.
Prior to the government’s announcements, most local conservation groups formed a watershed alliance that called for a moratorium on foreshore development. The politicians paid attention to the hundreds of letters and emails about the issue and subsequently the Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Pat Bell, issued a “temporary delay on foreshore development.” The regional district and the Sicamous town council consequently pressured the minister, who then partially reversed his decision, with the result being that decisions will be made on developments currently in the system, while no new proposed developments proposals will be accepted until SLIPP is complete.
The Shuswap Watershed Coalition developed 48 recommendations to address the growing list of problems. Two of the Alliance’s key recommendations include expanding the plan to the entire basin and forming a permanent basin council to oversee and coordinate management, monitoring and research.
Regional districts and municipalities have the power in most cases to approve or deny developments through the rezoning process. In the Shuswap, we are hoping that SLIPP will help to limit future growth adjacent to our lakes and ensure any future growth is smart.
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To learn more, visit www.seas.ca