Letter to the Editor

Why are we in such a rush to approve development of the Galloway lands along the Lizard Creek drainage when it appears there is available stock for estate homes in Timber Landing at RCR, the Cedars, Montane and Alpine Trails.

The Galloway lands are located between the Cedars and FAR, Mount Fernie Park and Highway 3.  Reto Barrington (developer) and Bud Nelson (land owner) are petitioning the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) for a land use amendment to change the current zoning, thus developing 90 home sites, circled by a stand alone parcel of open space for recreation and trails, masked as ‘conservation lands.’

Galloway’s reworked application for zoning amendment was presented to the RDEK Area A – Area Planning Commission (APC), February 21.  It was attended by 43 people on Zoom (which the Chair stated was the most ever) and 10 in-person, illustrating great public interest.

Public attending could not ask questions or make comment. The APC members attending, only three out of nine, voted unanimously to move the proposal, in its second iteration, forward to the RDEK.

To fully assess this critical decision, an updated Elk Valley Official Community Plan written in 2014, needs updating to clarify its regional, Valley-wide vision.  So much has changed in the Elk Valley over the past decade: excessive forest removal of the Valley’s east side, expansion of Teck mines impacting water quality as well as their divestment of carbon, population growth, demand for housing making it unaffordable for most current residents, pressure on agricultural land for subdivision, traffic increase on Highway 3, cumulative impacts on wildlife and extensive tourism pressure, to name a few.

Changing the zoning of the Galloway land has generational implications for Fernie and the Elk Valley.

Impacts to our valuable natural assets need full cost accounting, like risks to: Westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout spawning habitat; wildlife corridors for large ranging carnivores; critical habitat for ungulates like moose and elk, long-toed salamanders, and olive-sided flycatchers; and opportunities for alternative economic development. Intact forest ecosystems instead of hardened, developed surfaces are required for climate change resilience, given our recent experiences with floods and rising temperatures.

It feels like we are on a knife-edge of decision-making that will take our valley one of two ways.  Elected representatives please have the courage to say no to Galloway’s zoning amendment.  Instead, say yes to an updated OCP that prioritizes the values we hold dear: wildlife, water quality and aquatic health, recreation opportunities, and responsible development – today and tomorrow.

Lee-Anne Walker,

RDEK Electoral Area A

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