qathet Regional District’s committee of the whole is recommending that the regional district establish another regional park on Lasqueti Island.
At the May 22 committee meeting, Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall said the proposed park at Spring Bay Road on Lasqueti Island would be a loved park if it is supported by the regional board. He said the trail leading into the park would be low maintenance, and that the other regional park on the island, Boot Point Regional Park, is also low maintenance and costs very little to maintain.
Fall asked how difficult it would be to change the name of the park in the future.
Manager of operational services Patrick Devereaux said it has been done in the past. There would be costs for signage but it would not be a huge cost. He said he had done some background into the existing name and asked what the people in that neighbourhood call it. Devereaux said they call it Spring Bay Park.
Fall said he concurs that everyone on Lasqueti calls it Spring Bay.
“This would be a great addition to our regional parks system,” said Fall.
City of Powell River director Cindy Elliott asked if there was any cost applying to the province for a licence of occupation.
Devereaux said the ministry of transportation and infrastructure offers licences of occupation with a $250 processing fee, plus the staff time to write the application.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said the regional district has several regional parks, and non-profit organizations like to get involved in putting in infrastructure and conducting activities. He asked if the licence of occupation would allow the regional district to authorize non-profits to put in infrastructure, or would that require a subsequent change to the licence of occupation.
Devereaux said the licence of occupation is for a nature park and there are no improvements.
“Under this licence there would be no improvements allowed, except for signage to identify it as the park,” said Devereaux. “This is different from the parks we own, or Craig Road Regional Park or the Paradise Valley exhibition grounds, which are licences for parks purposes, having management plans showing all the improvements on the land and what we are doing.”
Electoral Area A director Jason Lennox asked if it was the community sentiment to have a nature park. Fall said the community would be very averse to infrastructure or development.
“The community would want it to be exactly the way it is,” added Fall.
Elliott asked if there were other areas in the regional district that could be protected with the licence of occupation approach.
“Do we have a way to identify areas that might make great nature conservancy parks?” asked Elliott.
Electoral Area D director and committee chair Sandy McCormick said the parks and green space plan the regional board developed between 2010 and 2012 has become the go-to document for parks planning.
“It gives the staff something to work with,” added McCormick.
Devereaux said earlier this year, the parks and trails strategy was presented to the regional board and named several areas that could be potential parks for the future.
“We do have outstanding applications with the province for parks,” said Devereaux.
The committee voted to recommend to the regional board that it direct staff to obtain a licence of occupation from the ministry of transportation and infrastructure for the undeveloped crown land at the end of Spring Bay Road on Lasqueti. The committee also voted that the board designate the 2.2 hectares under the licence of occupation as a regional park and that the board officially name it Spring Bay Regional Park.
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