Closure could delay fire crews

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: May 30, 2009 12:00 PM

Emergency crews are concerned a potential road closure could impact their ability to help those in need. The Okanagan Indian Band council has stated it could close a portion of Lakeshore Road as part of an ongoing land dispute. “If it’s cut off, that changes a lot of things for us,” said Ed Forslund, Okanagan Landing fire chief. Presently, Lakeshore Road is the most direct route from the fire hall on Okanagan Landing Road to Tronson Road and adjacent subdivisions. If Lakeshore was closed, fire trucks would be forced to travel up Okanagan Landing Road and access Tronson Road by the airport. “It would add a lot of extra time to responding to that side of the Landing,” said Forslund. Closure of Lakeshore could also create challenges for the RCMP and B.C. Ambulance Service. Both sides of Lakeshore from Tronson to the creek, including the beach (not Kin Beach Park), are part of the Indian reserve.

No timeline for a possible closure has been established, but Chief Fabian Alexis believes such a move is still possible. “We are going to review action Tuesday,” he said. “Council wants to see what is being planned.” Alexis says the band never extinguished ownership over the land the road is on, and he is hearing mixed opinions about a closure. “Some of our band members living there say, ‘Close it.’” The band’s actions come after it asked the City of Vernon to abandon a $733,000 project that would have addressed safety concerns along the road and beach.

The city is watching the situation closely and it vows to fight any attempts at closure. “We’ve looked at the paperwork in terms of the right-of-way,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert. “Everything we have shows it’s clearly city right-of-way.” Information on the road’s location and reserve boundaries are being sought from the federal and provincial governments, but Lippert hopes a legal battle can be avoided. “We will try to work with the band and keep the communication lines open,” he said.