February 2015 FMCBC Newsletter

Some highlights:

Update on the parking situation at Cypress and Mt. Seymour
Jodi Appleton, Executive Director.
Our Recreation and Conservation Committee recently sent in a letter to Vicki Haberl, BC Parks Planning Section Head for the South Coast Region, in response to BC Parks’ Discussion Paper on Parking Capacity as it relates to the private ski hill operations in Mt Seymour and Cypress Provincial Parks. The parking capacity situation for these two ski hills is complex. For most days it’s not a problem, but on the 20-30 peak days per season a lack of parking capacity for ski hill clients can pose a big issue for the ski hill operators and could impact whether or not these two skill hills remain viable.
Since 2012 we’ve been involved in meetings and discussions with BC Parks and the ski hill operators revolving around how best to accommodate parking for the commercial ski hill clients while still maintaining park access for public users. BC Parks’ Discussion Paper poses several possible solutions and considerations relating to each. Our letter, which relates mainly to the situation at Mt Seymour, provides our perspective on a few of the ideas suggested in the Paper and how we feel these would directly affect access for the general public if implemented.
Our main concerns:

• Safe, free winter access to these provincial parks for the general public be maintained.
• If additional parking is added that it is done so in a way that does not remove upper elevation park area and detract from the parks’ natural assets.
• The costs to expand parking capacity be paid for mainly by the ski area operators and not by BC Parks.

We're interested in hearing about user experiences, especially from our members. If you've tried to access these parks and been affected by the recent parking restrictions write to us about it.

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