Dear Editor:
British Columbia celebrates Heritage Week from Feb. 19 to 25.
Twenty-six years ago, during Summerland’s Heritage Week, Mayor Don Cameron and noted historian Harley Hatfield officially opened Priest Camp Historic Park. This land is an important indigenous site and also the Okanagan’s first non-native settlement; founded 15 years before Pandosy’s Mission.
The site was shown on provincial, international and even American maps. Although approved by council, as of 2024, municipal staff have not zoned this land ‘park’.
In 2006, Summerland celebrated our centennial by creating three parks, including the Okanagan Fur Brigade Linear Park. But, municipal lawyers took the firm position that there is no evidence of use of this trail.
This position implied the Brigade Trail does not exist.
The Summerland taxpayer was required to pay $25,000 to use a ‘road’ through District Lot 2825. (According to maps, this was the Brigade Trail.) This site was approved as a linear park by municipal council yet staff refused to zone this 6,000 year old indigenous trail.
Following the total destruction of a portion of the Brigade Trail in 2007, the B.C. government stepped in and declared the Brigade Trail a provincial registered heritage site with the Borden number dkQv-55. Doesn’t matter: staff still have not zoned this ‘park’.
Both of these items continued to remain on the agenda of the Heritage Advisory Commission until 2018, when all members quit. The last correspondence to the District was Oct. 24. 2023, which recommended a zoning request.
Taxpayers need an explanation. Elected councilors approve parks and staff refuse. And municipal lawyers claimed no records of a road, forcing taxpayers to pay $25,000.
David E. Gregory
Summerland