Why were we opposed to this development?
It is far too massive a project for these sensitive lakes.
The air photo shows how natural the area is at present, and also demonstrates how these lakes are one ecosystem. The smaller lakes are extremely sensitive and none of them have a sufficient flushing rate which would help discharge the amounts of effluent which would inevitably be a result of the proposed development. The Cariboo Regional District has already designated Lac des Roches as "extremely sensitive," because of fish habitats, wildlife corridors and winter feeding grounds, and bird nesting areas, combined with the slow turnover rate of water in this watershed.
The situation of the project is inappropriate.
This area is more than 3700 feet above sea level (1100 metres) and gets its first snowfall in mid-October; the lakes are frozen over for six or seven months, and a typical winter includes more than a metre of snow on the ground and weeks of temperatures hovering between -20 and -30 C. This is not the area where an "environmentally sensitive, all-season lakeside resort and residential community" can be built.
The proposal does not include most of the components which would add a semblance of realism.
There are no plans for a school, medical centre, fire hall, or police protection, and any commercial centre included would be operating in direct competition with local businesses - the very businesses which the plan is intended to assist!
The plan does not take into consideration the present scenic views and visual qualities.
The spectacular beauty and peacefulness which gives this area its identity is so well known that Lac des Roches is described in tourist brochures as "one of the most photographed lakes in British Columbia." Imaging the devastation which will occur when the bull-dozers roll in and the hillsides become scarred with the results of their activities. Imagine how the tourists will feel when they see formerly pristine wilderness converted into a strata-style subdivision. Imagine how the wildlife will exist when their habitat is destroyed.
Lac des Roches is included in two Regional Districts.
More than ninety percent of the current lake residents are disenfranchised because they live in the CRD portion, and one has to wonder why the Thompson-Nicola Regional District has chosen this area for development. Some residents feel that it is because we are disenfranchised, and that we have no real say in what happens on our lakes - the TNRD seems to think that this region is so far removed that no one will really care about how things will get done.
A golf course? Here?
Local residents who have tried to plant and maintain lawns know that a golf course will only succeed by pouring tons of fertilizer onto the course each year; during the short but dry summer season watering will ensure that the phosphates and nitrates from the fertilizers will end up in the lakes, and the gravely nature of the "soil" will mean that the golf-course managers will have a never ending task on their hands. Many of us love to play golf, but we also know that driving to the 108, to Chinook Cove or Clearwater is a far more realistic proposal than a golf course here. This idea is just another indication that the planners have not done appropriate research.
This project means the mass privatization of wilderness Crown Land.
Somehow, in the past few years, the government of BC has changed its policies without notification to the citizens, public discussion, or inclusion in election campaigns. Robin Levesque of LWBC has stated that they are dealing with "surplus Crown Land," and one has to wonder how these lands became "surplus" and who decided they were! Most of us believe that Crown Land is not the property of any government or government agency, but is simply our heritage, held in trust by government for future generations. We feel that it is inappropriate to privatize wilderness Crown Land simply for the cash infusion it will give to government coffers. (include here, some details re: amounts.) We are not opposed to Crown Land being used for legitimate purposes.
Do we need to mess up every vista visible from our highways?
There should be some lakes in BC which are close to highways, but which are left in a pristine condition (as much as possible) so our tourists, children, and others can see what it was like before everything was developed Lets leave some lakes (these ones, please!) as close as possible to the way they were created. To most of us, destroying this view makes as much sense as destroying the view of Peyto Lake - that is, there is no rational person who would want to do so.
This development will create a higher risk of forest fires.
The south shores of Lac des Roches (on the CRD side) are designated as an "old growth management area," and it is evident to anyone who has tried to make their way through this forest that it will require a huge infusion of labour to remove the slash and fallen trees (a result of recent ice storms) that currently provide a massive amount of fuel for fires. Further, it seems that the planners of this project have learned nothing from the experiences of either the McLure Fire or that in Kelowna. Access to residential areas must be through more than one route if residents and their property are to be safeguarded, yet this project has only one access route, and this through extremely sensitive areas! The nearest fire protection site is at Bridge Lake (twenty kilometres away) where an aging pumper and a small volunteer group tries to provide local fire protection. The responsibility for fire protection in this development is the responsibility or the TNRD, yet no planning for this is included. When are those responsible for planning and development going to learn from the history of their own region?
No environmental studies are planned until after rezoning takes place.
A private developer would have to do several environmental impact studies before he could request a rezoning application. In the case of this project, no studies are being planned until after rezoning. Why doesn't our government and its agencies have to play by the same rules as private developers?
Land and Water BC Inc. is an aggressive and unresponsive Crown Corporation.
The mandate of LWBC is "to act as an advocate for economic development and revenue generation by aggressively pursuing and encouraging investment and optimal use of Crown land and water resources. During public meetings those of us attending have been amazed at the arrogance and unthoughtfulness of those who are pushing this project. We see people who live somewhere else making decisions which impact us where we live; their mission is simply to make money, but we live here. We feel that it's time our province started to practice the principles of democracy which were promoted during the last election - open and honest government, responsive to the people - not simply to allow any money-making proposal to move ahead in the name of "economic development." Disposition of crown land is now the responsibility of Integrated Land Management Bureau which has taken over the LWBC's mandate.
Say goodbye to the "Fishing Highway!"
There are hundreds of lakes in this region, and thousands of fishers come here each year to visit their favorite lake. Local resorts and guiding services provide access for visitors and locals alike, and many businesses make most of their profit during the short fishing season. Imagine how the off-highway lakes will be impacted by the arrival of so many year-round and recreational residents, and imagine how you will feel when you arrive at "your lake" and find it already occupied! We must be careful, however, to make sure that we do not simply take a selfish attitude to our special places: it's not that we want to be selfish, it's just that for most of us, fishing is not a group activity; it's an occasion when we can get out into the outdoors and refresh ourselves by getting as close to nature as we can. Note that this development intends to add a minimum of 228 additional units to Lac des Roches and Birch Lake alone, and that it is usual in these cases for development to exceed the originally stated guidelines. Look at their plans carefully and imagine how the entire area will be impacted by this huge project. Any development should maintain the ambience of these lakes as " world class fishing lakes" on the "Fishing Highway."