Flying in the face of previous opinion polls is a recent survey showing the majority of South Okanagan Similkameen residents surveyed were 91裸聊视频渟trongly opposed91裸聊视频� to a national park reserve in the region.

Commissioned by the through the Vancouver-based Innovative Research Group, their numbers show 35 per cent of the 300 residents asked were strongly opposed while 27 per cent strongly supported it.

The live-caller, cellular and landline interviews took place Dec. 12 to 19 last year. The margin of error for a random sample of this size is 卤5.7 per cent 19 times out of 20.

The two major polls conducted in 2010 and 2015 by McAllister Opinion Research showed support of 63 per cent and 26 per cent opposition in the first survey, climbing to 69 per cent in favour, or 2:1 and 21 per cent opposed by the 2015 poll of 501 people.

The last McAllister survey also indicated the vast majority of ranchers, hunters, tourism operators, fishers, all-terrain and snowmobile users, campers and naturalists surveyed were in favour of a national park reserve.

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However, according to the SOSPS: 91裸聊视频淢ost telling in the newest poll is the support for a referendum to determine if the national park reserve should be implemented. An amazing three out of four residents (75 per cent) of the South Okanagan and Similkameen regions want a referendum.91裸聊视频�

SOSPS spokesman Lionel Trudel believes that statistic itself embodies the sentiment of the people directly affected, whether they are in favour or not.

91裸聊视频淭he number of 75 per cent support (in elections or polls) has never arrived in the whole history of the Okanagan, it usually runs in the high 50s or 60s,91裸聊视频� said Trudel. 91裸聊视频淭his is plus or minus five points so you could have this range from 71 to 81 per cent support for a referendum, which is huge.

91裸聊视频淔rom talking with both our membership and people at large that live in the area it91裸聊视频檚 simply a case of climate scrutiny, people have had a chance to more time to look at historically what Parks Canada91裸聊视频檚 track record has been.91裸聊视频�

The idea of a national park for the region has been around for nearly two decades and in the early 2000s Sen. Ross Fitzpatrick began the push for its creation, eventually resulting in division among different levels of governments, First Nations, organizations, businesses and neighbours.

The province91裸聊视频檚 opposition to the plan in the later stages put the project on hold which all changed last October when federal and provincial environment ministers and the Okanagan Nation Alliance representatives came together to announce they were resuming discussions to creating a national park reserve.

Those discussions were to involve looking at the continuation of ranching, recreational and business and other activities in the region if the park reserve goes ahead.

Doreen Olson, co-ordinator of the says reports of the survey have raised a number of concerns on the part of her organization, including the high percentage requesting a referendum.

91裸聊视频淭he referendum, that91裸聊视频檚 why the province is involved, the First Nations, the government of Canada, we91裸聊视频檙e speaking through those representatives, they have agreed that we should have a national park here,91裸聊视频� said Olson, Tuesday. 91裸聊视频� At this point, this (SOSPS poll) just seems to be a detractor, because of frustration, misinformation. I think people need to get informed they need to go onto the (Parks Canada) website and see what91裸聊视频檚 there and put their comments there.91裸聊视频�

She also questioned why, if there are that there are so many opposed, only eight people turned up at a Parks Canada presentation through Keremeos council several weeks ago.

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91裸聊视频淭hat was an indication to me that maybe the 91裸聊视频榥o group91裸聊视频� isn91裸聊视频檛 as big as they think they are,91裸聊视频� said Olson. 91裸聊视频淭he other thing is this (SOSPS) poll was a very small poll, our polls were done from the entire RDOS (Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen) and included the entire area that91裸聊视频檚 going to be affected by the park, this poll was done from Keremeos, Cawston and Oliver and that91裸聊视频檚 really the hotbed of the of the 91裸聊视频榥o park91裸聊视频� aggression.91裸聊视频�

Included in the current talks are the boundaries of the park reserve, the creation of which is still believed to be a decade or more in the future.

newstips@pentictonwesternnews.com
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