City awaits details on road closure

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: June 20, 2009 12:00 PM

The City of Vernon is completely in the dark over a possible road closure. The Okanagan Indian Band announced in late May that it could possibly shut down a portion of Lakeshore Road over a legal dispute, but no action has been taken and the city has had no contact with the band. “With communications, it seems like they have shut off all the phones and cut off all the lines,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert. “All we can do is wait and see if they do that (closure).” Both sides of Lakeshore from Tronson to the creek, including the beach (not Kin Beach Park), are part of the Indian reserve. The band states it never extinguished ownership over the land the road is on.

The prospect of a road closure comes after the band asked the City of Vernon to abandon a $733,000 project that would have addressed safety concerns along Lakeshore Road and the beach. Lippert expects he will ask the rest of council Monday if they know of anyone who has had contact with the band and how the situation should be handled. “We will see if we can get something official from the band,” he said. The city claims it has authority over the road right-of-way and it will take legal action against any closure. “We have done our homework and we have all of the paperwork,” said Lippert. “We have been in contact with provincial (government) staff and Indian and Northern Affairs and they have sent us information that shows it has been a right-of-way since the late 1800s.” Fire departments have considered alternate routes if the road is closed and the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee is taking action in case public access is eliminated to the beach on reserve lands. GVAC will install signs so the public is aware of seven beachfront lots on Lakeshore Road that are outside of the area contested by the band.No one from the Okanagan Indian Band could be reached for comment.