Draft policy says income from operations should go back into parks
Larry Pynn
Sun
Golden Ears in Maple Ridge, Duffey Lake between Mount Currie and Lillooet, and Wells Gray north of Clearwater are among the first proposed sites for commercial lodges in parks under a controversial new B.C. government policy, according to provincial freedom-of-information documents.
The documents, obtained by the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, contain a draft policy also suggesting that any such lodges must be compatible with park management plans, that proponents may have to fund environmental studies, and that the public and first nations must be consulted.
The process of granting permits for commercial lodges would likely be opened up to competitive bids only where there is more than one application at the same location. And lodges are not meant to be exclusive to guests, but open to the general public, including restaurants.
Government income from such operations, amounting to perhaps three to five per cent of lodges’ gross revenues, should go back into park management, according to the draft policy dated May 2005.
Conservationists have decried the provincial policy as an ill-advised effort to commercialize wilderness areas. WCWC campaigner Gwen Barlee said in an interview that lodges should be located on the periphery of parks, not inside where they compete with natural values.
“Lodges are not appropriate recreation,” she said, adding she is concerned that the public won’t be sufficiently consulted on the issue. “Parks are about protecting and preserving our environment.”
The FOI documents suggest an 80-bed four-season resort is in the works for Golden Ears, a park that is extremely popular with family campers from the Lower Mainland in summer, along with a “high-end” lodge for Stevens Lakes in eastern Wells Gray park.
If successful, the proposed lodge at Duffey Lake would represent the first sign of commercialism along an 83-kilometre route that is known for its scenic viewscapes and is rated the third-greatest motorcycling highway in southern B.C. by the best-selling book, Destination Highways B.C.
“What idiot is responsible for this idea?” asked book co-author Brian Bosworth.
He noted the Duffey Lake Road is a major tourist draw for motorcyclists, including Americans, because it features “not one bit of development once you climb up into the high country.
“Obviously, as one of the rare destination highways in B.C., it should be preserved free of the blight of any such ‘progress’ as lodges, ski hills, etc., if it’s going to maintain the character that draws raves from and makes it famous among riders.”
The FOI documents suggest the province views lodges in parks as “part of a strong and sustainable tourism industry.”
But the documents also warn that permits will only go to “appropriate and viable” operations where issues such as access — which could range from road to helicopter and float plane — as well as water and waste management have been resolved.
“As ultimate owner in perpetuity of parks, the province will be the bearer of environmental risks, and therefore will prudently seek to minimize these in committing to selected projects,” the documents read.
“Since parks are culturally sacred places, there can be significant socio-political risks associated with any program that affects such places. The province would be prudent to design a process that minimizes these risks.”
Currently there are 165 “roofed accommodation facilities” in the provincial park system, including 92 cabins or huts, 50 lodges, 17 shelters, five resorts and one ecolodge.
The province’s new commercial lodge strategy is designed to provide clearer ground rules for future such developments in parks.
Judy Klima, protected-areas recreation enterprise manager for the B.C. Environment Ministry, referred comment to the ministry’s communications manager, Dan Gilmore.
He cautioned that the documents released in the FOI request are draft only, and that no definitive timetable has been set to have the commercial lodge policy implemented.
The ministry is meeting with various stakeholders on the issue Wednesday in Vancouver.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006