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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JANUARY 2020
Agricultural impacts from new rail trail sought Shuswap-North Okanagan groups seeking land commission’s permission
by JACKIE PEARASE ENDERBY – A governance advisory committee
overseeing the proposed Shuswap-North Okanagan Rail Trail (SNORT) between Sicamous and Armstrong is asking agricultural landowners in the North Okanagan to provide feedback on the route.
An information session in Enderby on December
7 attracted about 30 producers along the proposed trail corridor. It was one of two to gather feedback from landowners. The meeting provided landowners with
background information on the rail trail project and a chance to give feedback that will be included in an application to the Agricultural Land Commission. The roughly 50-kilometre trail along the discontinued CP Rail line is a collaborative project between the Splatsin First Nation, Regional District of North Okanagan and Columbia Shuswap Regional District with assistance from the province. The working group also includes the communities of Sicamous, Enderby, Spallumcheen, Armstrong, Salmon Arm, Lumby and Revelstoke. “It’s an extraordinary example of everything coming together and everyone working together,” notes Shuswap Trail Alliance executive director Phil McIntyre-Paul, who hosted the meeting. The alliance has been involved in the region for
over a decade, including an ongoing contract with Enderby for trail creation and other community connectivity projects. It also maintains close relationships with local First Nations, making it a natural partner for SNORT. The Splatsin spearheaded the process in 2014, acquiring 11.7 hectares (29 acres) of the discontinued rail corridor, including a 1.5-kilometre
section south of Sicamous and a six-kilometre section south of Enderby. The two regional districts concluded their
purchase of the remaining rail corridor in December 2017, and planning and design of SNORT started in April 2019. Notification of ALR landowners is the first step in
the ALC application process for transportation, utility and recreational uses on ALR land. “The ALC wants to know if farmers in the ALR are going to have issues with this trail,” says restoration and reclamation specialist Melanie Piorecky of Associated Environmental Consultants Inc. in Vernon which is preparing the application to the ALC.
ALC concerns Piorecky, who also took part in the Okanagan
Rail Trail process, says ALC concerns regarding trails include trespass, livestock harassment, crop damage, vandalism, biosecurity, theft, invasive plants, liability for farmers, litter, vandalism and privacy. “We’ve gone out … riding on the [proposed] rail trail on our bikes to see what the production is in those areas so there’s a better understanding of what the potential conflicts are,” she says. “Understanding the potential issues is how you understand what mitigation you’re going to use and how you can create those mitigations and reduce those impacts to operators in the ALR.” ALR landowners need to provide information on potential encroachments of the trail onto their property, which will require encroachment agreements. All encroachments must be identified and considered on a case-by-case basis. “We’re looking for detailed information on specific issues that may require sub-consultants,”
explains McIntyre-Paul. Encroachments affecting producers include domestic waterlines, crossings for irrigation, vehicular access to fields, vehicular access to residential and farm buildings, and structures such as retaining walls, stairs and ramps. The rail trail proposal must include ongoing maintenance and repair, registration of easements across the trail, proper signage, designated parking areas, dogs on a leash, sufficient litter control, no motorized traffic, fencing and buffering as appropriate, and contact information to the appropriate local government for ALR landowners. “The ALC has this one chance to make a decision on this trail and then they’re out. But they want to have assurance that the municipalities will be responsive to issues moving forward,” says Piorecky. An agricultural code of ethics will be included in
the proposal alongside a general code of conduct for trail users. Piorecky stresses that the ALC is mandated to
preserve, protect and promote farming so the trail plan must respect that mandate. “They want the farms to know that if people using the trail have issues with farming practices … that’s a non-starter,” she adds. ALR landowners along the rail trail should have
already received an information package with a feedback form. Feedback identifying the affected property can be sent directly to the ALC or the rail trail group. “This is the planning period so some of your questions we might not have the answers for but we want the questions,” says McIntyre-Paul. “We do want to hear from the agricultural community about their concerns. Your feedback is really important.”
HAVE YOU COMPLETED AN ENVIRONMENTAL FARM PLAN? No cost. Con昀dential. No obligation.
To book an on-farm appointment, call 1-866-522-3447 (toll free) or visit
www.bcefp.ca for program information.
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