Kelowna News

Okanagan Mountain Park to get bigger under new legislation

Okanagan Mountain Park as seen from West Kelowna.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
March 17, 2016 - 11:31 AM

PARKS IN OKANAGAN FALLS AND OSOOYOOS HAVE ABORIGINAL NAMES MADE OFFICIAL

OKANAGAN - Okanagan Mountain Park will get a little bigger if the provincial government gets its way.

Environment minister Mary Polak introduced legistation yesterday that would add 11,700 hectares to various provincial parks.

Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park would grow by 263 hectares, next to the new Johns Family Nature Conservancy, according to a environment ministry media release.

Other local parks will get some attention, too. In Okanagan Falls, swenxnitkw Park (the former Okanagan Falls Provincial Park) will grow by 0.4 hectares, bringing the park up to 2.6 ha.

Both swenxnitkw Park and swiws Park (the former Haynes Point Provincial Park) will have their former names removed after their official renaming last May.

Chief Clarence Louie of the Osooyoos Indian Band said the renaming of the parks honours the original inhabitants of the South Okanagan and is an important step toward meaningful reconciliation.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.


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