There is, indeed, no mining allowed in Sumas Mountain Interregional Park.
The Fraser Valley Regional District had expressed alarm last year after it discovered a handful of mineral leases seemed to overlap with the park.
But the province has clarified that four leases that appeared to contain parkland don’t actually include the right to mine within park boundaries.
The park was created in 1995 and became official in 2001. But last year, staff learned that four leases overlaying the park had been issued since then. That led the FVRD to send a letter to the province.
The Province replied last month with a letter stating that “if a claim appears to partially overlap a park … the recorded holder of the claim acquires no rights within the area of apparent overlap with a park. Claims that have such apparent overlaps only confer rights to the area of the claims that are outside a park boundary.”
FVRD staff say in a report that the overlaps were the result of “an information gap in the Province’s GIS database” and that “when applications are reviewed by the Province our regional parks are not shown.”
A staff report says the FVRD is working with the province to ensure future claims don’t overlap with parks.
The original letter to the province also mentioned a fifth claim that was adjacent to the regional park, and where “no consultation with the FVRD occurred.”
However, the letter from Mines Minister Michelle Mungall does not mention that fifth claim.
The province said it doesn’t consult bodies before allowing mineral claims to be registered. Rather, it’s when a proponent asks to actually mine an area that consultation with local bodies takes place.
The Fraser Valley Regional District’s corporate services committee was set to discuss the matter Thursday evening after press time.